Letter No. 28 Thursday December 28, 1918
My dear Margaret,
So you went visiting and were taken sick the first day. What a shame! You see the farm is the healthiest place for you after all! Luck is against me also. I have just been enjoying a slight attack of grippe. Shall probably be discharged today but the St Barnabas nurses and Miss Carlson left this morning for Nice without me.
I trust you had a happy Christmas. We had a most delightful one. Everyone had been working hard fro a week getting ready for it. The patients were well remembered by the Red Cross. A week ago it gave us half a ton of sugar for making candy and that was some work. Then the Red Cross gave us paper cornucopias and candy for filling them besides each patient got a sock filled to the brim. This is how we filled the,.
1st the other sock rolled tight and stuck in the toe
2nd a package of raisins, dates, etc.
3rd 2 packages of cigarettes, a box of matches, nuts, 2 handkerchiefs, a package of cookies, and a gift of some kind as a pocket books, a pipe, a razor, etc.
4 postcards and a Christmas card.
The night nurses distributed them so the patients found them pinned on the foot of the bed Christmas morning.
The boys have been going out this week and I doubt if we had 700 patients in Base 26 yesterday. A long line of them have just marched out of camp this morning. Most of them are bound for home. They had a good Christmas dinner with beaucoup turkey and pumpkin pie.
Christmas Eve the boys of the personnel gave an entertainment lasting from 9 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. From the shouting and applauding it must have been tres bonne but unfortunately I could not attend.
Our Christmas dinner was at 1:30 p.m. and we 4 in the infirmary were permitted over. The mess hall was beautifully decorated with ivy, holly, and mistletoe and a tree in the corner. The tables arranged in a hollow rectangle. We had previously drawn names and bought each other presents which were supposed not to exceed two francs in value. These were on the tree and were distributed between courses. Some were ridiculous and others pretty. I go a very pretty blue vase. At our places were presents from Minneapolis and from Miss Gossman. Mine were elaborate pincushion, and embroidered handkerchief case and a handkerchief, and from the YWCA a package of candy.
We gave Miss Gossman a very pretty wrist watch and Miss Sherril a leather writing case filled with stationary. The dinner was awfully good-turkey, with chestnuts in the dressing, mashed potatoes, artichokes, fruit salad, mince pie, and we each had a half pound box filled with fresh stuffed dates with nuts and salted almonds. For drinks we had a mixture of champagne and vin rouge.
In evening we had hoped to see the Minneapolis film but it has not arrived and no one knows where it is! So instead for the first time the enlisted men were invited over to the nurses' mess hall to dance and from all accounts they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
I am sitting up in bed in the infirmary writing this wishing Major White would come in and discharge me. Do not dare leave without.
We have been having lots of rain but yesterday the sun shone and today is clear and cold. Sorry I could not go south with the girls this morning as I'd like to take the trip before the orders come to depart.
A hundred nurses came into camp over a week ago. They had sailed since the Armistice was signed and are not needed here. Some of them are sister and cousins used to go to school with me.
We have no idea when we will leave, perhaps next month and maybe not for six. The day before Christmas I received Alice's letter of December 1st the box of candy and mother's and Frances's written Thanksgiving, also a funeral card announcing the death of Miss MacKay's father on December 2nd.
Have just had the gold service stripe put on the sleeve of my jacket and coat.
Just heard that our Lieut. Col. And Major White leave tonight for the States. Had heard rumors of their going soon.
It was announced at lunch that they are leaving tonight and we are invited to headquarters at 9 p.m. when there is to be a final send off.
Hope you take Bernette to Minneapolis this vacation. I send the Stars and Stripes every week. They must go astray. This last weeks is rather good. Am mailing it today.
Haven't heard from Uncle for a long time except receiving papers.
The enclosed snapshot was taken at Besoncon. A Happy New Year to each of you.
Affectionately, Jane.
Received in C L January 23, 1919