A December 1944 letter home captures wartime life, love and longing

Let's take a look at this letter my Mum wrote in December 1944 to her Aunt Amy while my daddy was having U.S. Army Basic Training in New Orleans. My notes on what she wrote are in parentheses.

Dear Aunt Amy, I waited to write to you and send your card. I got the lovely box this morning. Every thing seemed in good condition, but I didn't open the presents. They looked lovely and thank you all very much. You shouldn't have sent as much. I admit I am as curious as a kid to see in them, but I didn't even shake the boxes.

I got two from Hubert too. They came nice too. He had sent a big box to Sally. She has seven separate boxes from him, but he said he didn't get her anything expensive. I can hardly wait to see how excited she will be when she opens them.

I think (depending on the weather, et cetera) we will go in town (Augusta, Maine) Sunday and stay all night — have the trees (at Daddy's parents' place and at Daddy's sister Ruth and Percy's place) in there Christmas Eve, have Christmas dinner at Mam's (Daddy's mother's place). Vera (Daddy's older sister) is coming down from Waterville. Then I guess Monday afternoon I will bring the folks out here and have our tree.

It is awful cold here now — 2 degrees above (zero) — and I expect we will have a big snow storm. Hubert wrote it was very cold down there (where he was stationed in New Orleans).

I was very pleased of your Christmas card. The house looks lovely. (I'm concluding Mum's grandparents, whose home was in Mt. Vernon, Maine, were spending the winter with their daughter, Mum's Aunt Amy, at her home in Lynn, Massachusetts.) I was so delighted to have a picture of it. Everything, especially the hedge, looks so perfect. Is that Spot or Bozo on the steps?

I have 24 lovely cards so far ... making 56 cards I have sent. I hope you get the box all right, and I wish it were more. I put up our tree Sunday, and it is very pretty. It is a big one and looks nice. I have most of the trimmings up high, but Sally does very well about leaving it alone.

I wonder what Grammie (her father's and Aunt Amy's mother who raised Mum on the farm in Mt. Vernon, Maine) does. Does she get out at all? I was and am always glad to hear how they are. Grammie usually forgets to tell how she is, as is natural for her.

Mrs. K. (Knowles, who owned and operated The Old Homestead boarding house) got her card, and Ruth (Daddy's sister) got one. Two loads of Mrs. K's 10 cords of wood for next winter came today.

I finished a little everyday dress for Sally today and wrapped it up for the tree and cut her out another from the same print. I am making a white yolk for this as I didn't have enough cloth for quite two. You can't buy a yard of cotton cloth here (this is during WWII).

We have a register put in our room now, right over the kitchen stove. That, with the little oil heater going evenings, we may be able to stay up there this winter, but I don't know. Mrs. K. took two falls today. Fell on her face with two junks of wood in the other room. Then outdoors she slipped with an arm full of wood and fell on her back and head. She said she didn't know what she would do next time. (Remember most of the men are away at war.)

I have given up expecting Hubert for Christmas. He gets through Clerk's School the 23rd. He might come soon after Christmas, and then he might go to Leadership School for six weeks or do something. You can't tell or be sure of anything in the Army. The war over in Germany doesn't look so good now. It is discouraging. I bet Arnold (Daddy's older brother) will be in the service and maybe Percy (Daddy's sister Ruth's husband) too, before it is over. Hubert's half brother Ralph (Grammie met him) passed to go, and I guess he is 33 and they have just had another girl, making four children. His wife isn't well either. Carol (daughter of Ruth and Percy) is smart as can be. They had some cute photos taken of her.

Hope you got your tree and will have a very happy Christmas. I thought Grampa (Bean, married to Grammie Bean, who raised Mum) would like to buy some tobacco with the bill (probably a one-dollar bill). I don't know if you can buy any cigars or not now. Not many, I guess. Is Lola (Mum's sister who lived in Scituate, Massachusetts) coming up for Christmas? I suppose Johnnie (Lola's oldest son) will have a great time this year. He will understand more about it (Christmas) than last year.

Please ask Grammie if she thinks it would be OK to have Sally sleep on a feather bed. Mrs. K has a small one and thinks she should have it to be warmer. I have one on my bed right over the mattress. It is warmer, but I sure miss my bed fellow, especially in the winter. I am so cold blooded I about freeze up. I wrote Hubert that I was kind of waiting for him to come soon or see, and then after he comes, I guess I shall put on every darn rag I own and see if I can keep warm enough. Probably take an hour to dress and another to undress. I might wear them all to bed like the Leighton (neighbors to the farm where Mum was raised on the Bean Road in Mt. Vernon, had seven children) kids. Ha! I am going to get some socks to put over Sally's stockings, I guess. I am going to do my best to keep her warm enough. I am so glad this month is most over without much of any bad storms.

I am keeping Sally away from the public, and I am not going to movies, et cetera, any because of the scarlet fever in town. Thirty-one cases. I think there are two out here (in Manchester). Hope Uncle Laurie (Aunt Amy's husband who delivers mail on foot in Lynn, Massachusetts) doesn't get too tired and keeps well.

I must write to Hubert now. I didn't get any letters from him today. He writes every day, and I write to him, but I can't mail any Sunday, so I write six a week and him seven. Last week I got two that were censored. I hate the idea of someone else reading the stuff we write. Of course I know they will all be censored when he gets overseas.

Sorry you had the flu. I had a nice letter from Aunt Ethelyn (married to Uncle Arthur, who was Aunt Amy's brother). She expected Ruth (Aunt Ethelyn and Uncle Arthur's daughter) last Saturday. They were down and by (The Old Homestead) last Thursday, but I was in town (Augusta). She wanted us to come up again soon (to their home in Vienna, Maine), and they missed us.

Thank Grammie for the pretty card, and she does well to write so often. Glad to hear. 

Love,

Marjorie