Christmas time?

Is it time to prepare for it already?  When I made a lumber run to the Home Depot and told them it was for a Christmas project they looked at me like I was out of my mind.  They must not know the importance of starting in the summer to have a hope of getting a project done in time.

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bottom of one section of the train, with the wheels on so it can be
moved around the yard easily

I am currently working on two projects.  One is additional superhero figures for the tree out front and the other is a train that can function as a Christmas decoration and well as a kids play area the rest of the year.
The first step of the figures is to prime the wood then draw out the figure for the cutting. Next comes the sanding and the part I like the least the sealing of the edges of the wood to protect them.  Now it is on to doing the outlines of the figure.  The last step will be the actual painting of the figure. 

I have been switching back and forth between the train and the figures.  While I have put the train together in my mind a number of times I was never really confident about the wheels that they would support and also roll but so far it looks like it is going to work. I started with the passenger car then will move on to the engine.  Those might be the only two I get done this year.  I will update as changes are made.