25 Dec 1944 CH
to J
Hotel Philadelphia
Westhampton, N.Y.
Christmas Day 1944
Dear Dad—
Merry Christmas! Wish we could all be
there to wish you all that greeting. Maybe some Christmas we can all be
together in the old homestead. What fun that would be. Somehow Christmas just doesn’t seem like Christmas without you and
Mother, Honey, Abbie, and dear old Freck and Bill. I look back on those days in
Cincinnati, what a job you and Mother must have had selecting the things for
your children, trying to satisfy each and everyone of us. Then too we had a lot
of Fairy God Fathers and Mothers whose Christmas gifts were usually those of
untold splendor. I am using today a toolbox and a beautiful set of augur bits,
given to Freck and me by Mrs. Smythe or Miss Becky many years ago. Even Freck’s
old lathe that “Santa” brought him works in my shop. Somewhere in Southampton a
train engine locomotor waits for future use given by Mrs. Reed [Pauline Carson
Foster Reed, Mrs. C.L. Reed]. There are other things I don’t remember, but
which I still have around.
Today we received a present that has been
the trump of the day and the grandest gift imaginable from the swellest person
I know. War Bonds for all four of us from My Dad—I can’t begin to thank you . .
. I don’t know how, but any way we appreciate them more than words can express.
Today I am lazy and nearly exhausted—for
nearly a month my machines have been busy sawing, drilling, etc., making toys.
Then week before last I stayed in on my work full time usually from 9 AM to
after midnight. In that time I made a barn, a train, a farm wagon model with
team, a doll house, and drilled several cradles, in addition to the one that
went to Sophie. Each and every item was sold representing about 50 dollars
worth of toys. On top of that I made a gun for Chaddie and a rocking horse for
Billy. I finished the latter at 11 last night. It is a cute little horse and
cuter still when its young master swings into the saddle and rides away. He can
really make it go.
Abbie certainly showered Chaddie with
presents, we had a box from her and in it was a machine gun, a helmet, and a
periscope. He is tickled pink with the helmet as well as the other equipment.
It looks as though we might have a white
Christmas. It snowed last Monday and it snowed quite a bit, although there is
still quite a bit on the ground it is going fast. Today has been above freezing and it’s a heavy fog all day
and occasional rain.
THANK YOU FOR MY BOND –BILLY
Fran just plopped his majesty in my lap
and I thought he better learn to write early—
Friday morning I played Santa at the
school party. Charlie is not at all sure it was Santa in fact he had a darn
good notion it was me. When he came home I was working in my shop when I came
upstairs he looked me over very closely. I had make up on, but washed it all
off. My lips however showed signs of having been actual. He mentioned the fact that I had paint
on my face and he was quite positive that I was Santa. We changed the subject
so may be he has forgotten.
There has been ice in the bay for a week
or so, at last maybe with this thaw we are having I will break up enough to be
able to go out and make a couple of dollars. If N.Y. has a meat shortage, which
is threatened by the dealers or something, maybe clams should sell at a good
price.
I wish you all could have been here today
to help eat our 32# turkey. Next year I will have to raise some so that you can
have one for Thanksgiving day and Christmas. Maybe a goose for New Years.
Our box went express last Thursday I hope
it arrived in time to greet you today. Yours will be here I guess sometime this
week as you said it was sent express on Thursday.
Thanks again from the 4 of us for your
wonderful gifts.
A Merry Christmas—belated but in time to
wish you a very Happy New Year.
Love from us all.
Your son,
Charles
