I”m really feeling the spirit this season. Nothing lightens my mood lately like hearing someone offering a “Merry Christmas”.

At my in-laws’ place on the weekend, they put on Nana Mouskouri’s “Petit Garçon”, and lamented not having the English version “Old Toy Trains”, which they grow up listening to it at Christmas time on a reel-to-reel.

Here are lower quality recorders of both songs.

Nana is a singer who has recorded about 1,500 songs in 15 languages on 450 albums in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling artists and highest selling female artist of all time. Incredible!

Nana Mouskouri’s singing feels familiar, but I can’t recall her being part of my family’s traditions growing up.

It took me a while to find the album with “Old Toy Train” on it. It’s “Christmas with Nana Mouskouri [IMPORT]“, not to be confused with “Nana Mouskouri – The Christmas Album“, which has Petit Garçon on it and about double the songs — though fewer of my wife’s favorites.

These songs are really enchanting. When I hear “old toy trains”, I think of new, but olden style wooden toy trains.

My wife’s mom recently got a used Brio train set for our 19 month old son. He is really enjoying it and continues to say “train” in excitement in his over pronounced way.

My co-worker Ryan, with two young boys of his own, shares in “Kid Gear”

Laying down wooden tracks and pushing wooden trains is favored over all of the electronic gizmos we’ve bought them.

Wooden trains bring back some of my oldest, fondest memories.