December 27^th, ‘1943.

Well, John Milton, looks like I’m back at the same old job, (that of writing to you) and now that the “big day” is past, you and I will settle down to work. I’ll take that back as for me, I’m going to settle down to rest, for if I was to work any more now than I did getting ready for Christmas, my class meeting and going to several entertainments, I wouldn’t only need Ada, I’d need two Adas’.

Doesn’t Christmas get away in a hurry, when we have been so long in getting ready for it? I’ll say it does.

Now how about you? We at last got your letter giving an address and your box went off that same day. Hope when you got back from your Christmas frolic in Atlanta, you got it.

I would like to show you how that extra part to your bill fold works, (if you do not happen to already know) and in case you do not understand, drop into some nice dept. store some time and ask them at the proper dept to show you. Perhaps you will like it, or on the other hand, you may not care for it. That’s the advantage of it’s being separate.

I thought of you much during the holidays and wondered what you might be doing, so hope you had a nice time.

Your automobile trip out to Benning was quite an experience for you and I guess you all had a nice time while getting there. Well, we liked hearing from you on several days as you were en-route and appreciate your letting us hear. Then, many thanks for the book, “The Ten Commandments”. While we were listening to Water Winchell last night he spoke of it as one of the best sellers of today. Ben was sitting on his bed with it in his hand while we were hearing him, for he had been reading it when Winchell came on. Thank you a lot for thinking to send it, I like that a great deal, besides, I will enjoy reading the book.

No the auto situation on your trip wasn’t bad, in face you were quite lucky all around as to the running of the car, the old thing did fine I think.

And as to the coupons, seems you were very lucky. (Be sure you send back those for Sam0

I am glad you sent Alice a Christmas card but I am sorry you didn’t send Papa and Elizabeth; and Mrs. Sibley asked me to find out if you (since being sent around so much) have ever gotten the booklet from church, for Christmas?

Julian didn’t come here with Eliz. For Christmas as he was sick, and since she only came when she did because Latham phoned for her because Adelaide Jr. was sick, she went back to Washington Sunday.

Saturday and Sunday it rained and was quite ugly, so the weather kept things from looking any too much like Christmas and there’s lots of sickness here, so the visiting was cut down also.

My Christmas party for the girls in the class turned out pretty nice, and Ben and I went to several such other affairs, including the trip to the Air Base to give the pageant from the church (Ben doing the lighting effects) but I only looked on and helped to swell the audience, of which we needed some swelling since the servicemen evidentially didn’t figure they were going to enjoy it and didn’t come in great numbers. In fact, I think I counted some where around fifty or sixty perhaps, excluding a few WAACS.

From now on, I am going to enjoy my lovely pocketbook and again, “thank you”.

I am passing this along for you to do with as you see fit. Your friend Dabney called us before we had gotten your address to know how to write you, we told him we hadn’t as yet heard from you, so now you can send it if you wish.

Ruth Latimer sent me a Christmas card in view of the fact your package was mailed from here, I guess, tho it had your name on it, with just this street number, so when you write, you can explain why it was sent from here, that is, I judge you will want to. However, I do not think it was nice of her to send me the card. When she comes back to college, I perhaps will call her and thank her.

I hope you are not finding it too hard to adjust your self to the new surroundings and new branch of service and will enjoy it more than you had thought you would.

Love from us, and here’s hoping you will come out on top,

Mother

Hello, son!

I wrote a short message on your Christmas card since your mother has covered the news pretty well I’ll write you a letter later. Things have been pretty rough at Acca terminal the past three days. New “laying off” crippled our ash pit forces so much we had difficulty keeping some trains running.

There is lots of sickness here now.

I’d like to hear about your trip to Atlanta—I’ve never been there. Hope you had a good time, and that you had better weather in GA than we had here.

So long, old man. I hope we will get a letter from you tomorrow.

Dad