A few years ago, actually back in 2017, now that I think about it, the bups and I started an annual tradition where every Christmas I would set up a train for their pleasure, primarily for which they could sit upon and travel, typically around the living room. It was a major hit; they will ride it as long as I allow them to, and they never seem to get bored.
Over the years, I have expanded upon the general concept of the Christmas train and even gone as far as setting up various lighting and scene elements to improve the experience, falling short of building an entire Christmas village with an interactive atmosphere. For example, one year I had a red beacon strobe light that was actively flashing while the smoke of the train filled the air, thereby creating a unique aesthetic.
This past Christmas, I was seriously considering building an entire village from scratch, but with inflation and shortages, along with the poor economy, it was really expensive to create such a project and set it up on such short notice. I typically run the train from the end of November until early January, but when I had the epiphany, it was just days before Christmas, and it didn't work out.
However, this year, I want to get into it. It probably won't be anything extravagant, but I would love to get a few buildings going with decorative lights and animated characters and vehicles. You know, really bring it to life, thereby giving the bups brand new experiences. It could be from scratch or even characters that are premade, as long as they add something to the overall idea.
One idea would be to create and deploy a system in which characters and vehicles moved along a path within the village, giving the appearance of a breathing, living, thriving village. Maybe some snow would fall at timed intervals. I mean, pretty much anything can be done; I would only be limited by my imagination.
I thoroughly enjoy creating ways in which I can include the bups in my daily life. Whether it's a backpack that they can travel in while I go on adventures in public or small-scale creative projects that allow them to be included with me no matter what I'm doing at that moment,.
We're still 8 months away from Christmas, so I have plenty of time to conceptualize and prepare for this endeavor. One way to accomplish the characters and vehicles moving in a village would be to utilize magnets. I'll definitely be brain-storming over the next several months. Until next time.
