Christmas 1943 and 1944

From the letters my dad sent my mom during the war.

Christmas 1943 in England:

I have received the Christmas parcel with the fruit cake. Is there the legitimate amount of rum in it?

We shall be looking after the men at the noon meal. (I presume he meant the tradition of the officers serving.)

The batmen have got their hands on a chicken for us - from where we don’t ask too many questions.

Entertainment was provided on Christmas Eve to keep most of the boys out of the pubs before Midnight Mass. I took the Protestants down to the midnight service in the local village church- all seven of us to be exact. (He was in a French Canadian regiment.)

*****

Christmas 1944 in mainland Europe:

I almost forget what it is like to have a real winter blizzard. Heaven knows what it does in this part of the world in winter.

Is the Christmas present still unopened? It had better be.

The officer came back with a live goose and a duck - our Christmas dinner is assured. Next year I will be sampling your culinary art I hope. (He did.)

Christmas tree preparations. What you really needed was me for supervision and technical instruction and you to do the work. I can visualize up some wonderful ideas of decoration reclining at my ease with a glass in one hand.