XM05-01 “Santa in a Jeep” is exactly that – Father Christmas, or rather a GI dressed up as Santa has exchanged his reindeer and sled for a Willys Jeep!

            The scene is December 1944 … a little besieged town in Belgium … the place is deserted except for a platoon of GI’s and an old priest looking after a dozen orphan kids. In the midst of battle the GI’s decide to give these kids the best Christmas they’ve ever had. All their extra rations plus a crate of Florida oranges and a case of Cola. A GI dressed up as Santa … another GI driver and a jeep called “White Christmas” make this a very special collector’s set with a military flavour.   Only 600 sets have been produced.

Many years ago I heard a great story from a K&C collector whose Dad had served in the US Army at the time of the Battle of The Bulge.  His platoon was stationed in an almost abandoned Belgian village that December of 1944.  A few days before Christmas the GI’s discovered an old priest who was sheltering a whole bunch of orphan kids including some refugee Jewish children whose parents had already been deported. The old priest and the kids were cold and hungry and needed help.  So, the whole platoon pooled their rations and anything else they could get their hands on and delivered the “goodies” on Christmas Eve. Somehow, somewhere one of the GI’s found half of a St. Nicholas costume.  And that’s how an old priest…a bunch of starving kids had their best Christmas ever…right in the middle of a war.  That’s what gave me the idea for this little set…I hope you like it.