It’s that time of year again. Christmas cards and those great Christmas letters are going out. I love some of the Christmas letters where people brag on all their accomplishments or how well their family did this past year.
I bet you have gotten a letter like that. My kid made straight A’s and is getting a scholarship to college. My kid can’t decide whether to take the Rhodes scholarship, play for the Dallas Cowboys, or be the starting center for the New York Knicks. It might even mention that they painted the house or that Uncle Joe got out of prison.
I don’t send out Christmas letters although I did write one. Back on my first birthday, I wrote a letter to my Grandfather. So here is a seventy-year-old letter.
December 29, 1952
Dear Grandpa,
I sure do thank you for my birthday present of the savings bond. Daddy put it in the sage at the hardware store for me cause he said I can’t spend it yet. I sure do appreciate though, and thanks to you and Grandma.
I’m writing this letter on an old Royal manually-operated typewriter, and it still works pretty slick although there are a few things about it that I’m not too well acquainted with. Especially since this is the first time I’ve ever typed.
I rode down to the beach yesterday with Daddy, Mommie, and Grandpa and Grandma Mishoe to look at Grandpa’s beach house. Yes, it was still standing. Not many people there either, except for a few fishermen. I was in a hurry to get there and I had a good time walking all over the place.
I heard Daddy cussin’ in the basement last night. He went down to make a real big picture of me standing in the high chair at your house (an 11x14 picture) and found the negative on the floor where he’d been walking. It was scratched up a bit, but the picture he made came out pretty good. He mounted it on one of the 16 x 20 mounting boards that you sent him, and he’s going to put it up in his bedroom. I’ sending you one of the little ones he made too, and I’ll have him send off the negatives tomorrow.
I heard Daddy say this morning that it was cold as heck outside when he went out to let his pickup truck run to warm up. He said it was 22 on the back porch, and the windshield was all frosty. Bubby is coming over here today to help take down all Xmas decorations. I’ve been trying to pull down the Xmas tree for a week now and they wouldn’t let me. Now they’re going to take it down and have to have outside help. Doesn’t make sense.
The new stationary of the Bldg. & Loan looks real good. Wish we could have been there to attend the opening. Daddy’s billfold that you sent him looks real good, so I know it was a big success.
We didn’t getup until 9:30 Xmas day to see what Sandy Claus had brought. Xmas Eve remembered that he had forgotten some Xmas presents in Kingstree ( we spent the day in Greeleyville) and ran over at 9:30 PM to get them and the camera. On the way back he saw three car accidents and all drunks. He couldn’t find the flash gun of the camera since I had been playing with it and Momma had hidden it under the bed in the upstairs back bedroom. I could have found it if he had taken me. I had on my Merry Christmas nightshirt that Grandma made and we wanted to take a picture of me in it. I think Daddy is going to take some of me tonight since it’s my birthday, and I’ll put it on for him to take one. Louise Epps made a real little birthday cake for me.
Daddy went hunting Friday and brought back seven birds. Said he shot 26 times, 8 coveys, so I guess the skeet shooting didn’t help very much. He still says he’s going to start a skeet field here next year. The bird dog Frank was hunting with him and when the dog had picked up a dead bird and was coming back with it he stopped and pointed a single. Not many dogs will do that.
Business was fair at Xmas, but Daddy says he’s going to have a big toyland next year to get some of the dime store business. Sold all the BB guns, tricycles, wagons and such stuff. The farm business will be starting next month a bit when they start breaking up land and such.
I have to go take a bath and go to bed for awhile so I’ll have to stop. Sure do appreciate the war bond you sent me.
All my love,
Bobby
RWJjr/rwj
Merry Christmas
