Letters to America

Saturday, December 26th, 1942

Darling Joan,

Well, we are having a very jolly Christmas over here and hope that you are too. Yesterday, after dinner, we went into Dora’s with the twins and we all had a fine time, mostly playing games with the children. John and Anne enjoyed themselves, I can tell you, John especially getting very excited at times.

Today we are on our own, and after dinner will probably go for a walk around the common(1). It is not such a nice day as yesterday, which was very sunny, although there was a very heavy frost in the morning. We have not had any snow yet, have you?

Last Sunday we had a visit from Uncle Charlie and Auntie Maud, with baby Margaret. You would love Margaret, she is such a sweet little thing, and is no trouble at all. Last Sunday the poor little thing had a bad eye, but she didn’t make much fuss about it. Of course, Anne mothered her all day.

The babies had quite a nice lot of things this Christmas considering the war and how empty the shops are of toys(2). They hung up pillow cases, and we managed to find sufficient things to make a good show, and they were satisfied that Father Christmas hadn’t forgotten them. They are now busy cutting out and making up pictures and models.

There seemed to be as many Christmas Cards as usual this year, and the mantlepieces are full of them. Anne’s best present from Santa Claus was a Dolly. She really wanted one that went to sleep, you know, opens and shuts its eyes, but there just weren’t any to be had. John wanted a train set, and again there wasn’t any to be had anywhere, but some friends whose little boy had grown up, let us have a set that we mounted up on a board, and John was thrilled with the result. He has just gone off upstairs to have another game with it. Most people had to set up to something of that sort to get presents, since the shops have so very little in them, and a lot of what they have isn’t worth buying. Still, whenever you found you couldn’t buy a present for anyone, you bought them Saving Stamps(3) instead, and that all helps to win the war, so it’s quite a good idea, don’t you think?

Did you hear the King broadcast on Christmas Day? We heard over here a message from the President of the United States and another from Chunking in China, and from Moscow in Russia, during the usual Christmas Day round-the-world broadcast, finishing up with the King.

Well cheerio(4) for now, Joan darling, the twins want me to play with them a little before Mummy brings the dinner in. They have been too busy playing this morning to write a note, but I will get them to write again next week.

Lots and Lots of love from your
Daddy

xxxxx
xxxxx

  1. Common land is land which everyone is allowed to use.
  2. Most factories were used to manufacture weapons for the war, so there were shortages of almost everything, including children's toys.
  3. The US Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau Jr., introduced a voluntary loan system and planned a national defense bond program in the fall of 1940. The intention was to link the attractiveness of the baby bonds that had been implemented in the interwar period with the patriotic element of the Liberty Bonds from the First World War. This would raise money to finance the war. In the United Kingdom, the National Savings Movement helped raise funds for the war effort.
  4. People sometimes say 'cheerio' as a way of saying goodbye, especially in British English.