Matchbox City

I heard Dad say the other day, "Tinkerbell costume? Best present ever. Better than...Matchbox City."

Dad got "Matchbox City" in 1978. Uncle Chris made it for him for Dad's matchbox cars, on a sheet of plywood. It had a two-story parking garage with a working car elevator, model train-style trees that bordered the parkways, and a skyscraper with a patio on the roof. Dad said Bumpa and Judy threw it away when he was in college but kept the "Welcome to Matchbox City" sign and put it in his Christmas stocking. He said he never felt so betrayed. Maybe my tinkerbell costume has helped to dim that awful memory.