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In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we asked Cordy what she wanted Santa to bring her. No matter how many times we asked, the answer was always the same: a ballerina skirt, and a magic wand.

But then just days before Christmas, her list changed. What was at the top of the list now? A train. A red train, to be precise. (And a ballerina skirt and a magic wand, of course.) My husband and I looked at each other. "Everything is wrapped and finished. How are we going to get her a train?" We're happy to make our daughter's Christmas a happy one by granting wishes for toys, but we drew the line at braving the shopping crowds the Saturday before the big day.

Thankfully, we didn't have to buy her a train. One of my aunts surprised her with a large box containing a Thomas the Tank Engine brand train and track. Amazingly, it was red, too. I never knew my aunt was psychic, but she must be to have pulled off the perfect gift for Cordy. We never told her that Cordy wanted a train. But when that big box was unwrapped, her little eyes lit up when she saw the red engine inside, and she exclaimed, "A train! A train! Look - a red train!".

We set it up the next morning, and discovered it was motorized. The set is part of the Trackmaster series of Thomas trains. Unlike the old electrified tracks of my childhood - you know, the ones that had to be lined up just right to make the train move - there is a small compartment in the engine for a AAA battery that powers the train. This is an amazing feature to me, because not only does the train run on the provided track, but it can also travel across the kitchen floor, the living room floor, the table, or any other even surface.

Cordy adores this train. She has played with it every day since Christmas - more so than her ballerina skirt or magic wand! Her train set comes with a lumber yard and bridge, while other sets have a mountain pass, tunnels, and a copper mine. Cordy has never seen the Thomas TV show, so none of the locations mean anything to her. We'll probably keep it that way, too. I'd rather her be obsessed with her train set rather than obsessed with her trains AND a new TV show.

The Trackmaster sets all come with a track designed to run in a simple circle, but if you purchase multiple sets they can be constructed into more elaborate paths. I have a feeling we'll be buying more of these sets in the future.