26 December 1960 Didn't they do well?

26 December 1960

My dear Len and Margaret

Christmas is now far away. We spent a very nice time all together, every one in good form. They kept on singing away, going from one room to another, but they mostly kept in the kitchen where poor Roselle was busy with her cooking. I felt sorry for her, the singing you could almost have heard from Corbiere. They kept on until lunchtime, this made us forget the Queen’s message at 1pm, anyway we had a recording of it later on. It’s nearly always the same kind of message, isn’t it? It was nearly 2 o’clock when we sat at table for lunch and 3:30 when we finished.

Oh before I go further I want to thank you all for the lovely gifts you sent us. My stole is really beautiful and so warm. It’s really a good wrap, many thanks indeed for such a lovely gift. Dad is also very pleased with his nice tie. He, as usual, wants me to thank you, it’s his place to do so himself. I don’t know how long you would have to wait for his thanks. Of course the other members of the family will do so themselves, but I believe they are all very satisfied.

Now I will go on with a little more about Christmas. Our turkey was beautifully cooked. Arthur did the carving of this bird. I carved the pork. The men would not do any carving. We had a very nice meal, that is turkey, pork, mashed parsnips, carrots, broccoli, chestnuts. I love boiled chestnuts with turkey. The Christmas pudding was all eaten, it was a small one, just for the day.

After we had finished our lunch the girls hurried up to wash up, then all we women folk went to see Aunty Blanche, just for an hour. We told the men that we would be back in time to give them afternoon tea. We were back just after 5:30, then we had afternoon tea and Christmas cake. I didn’t eat any. I couldn’t after such a big lunch. We had breakfast late, that was after 11am, we got up late. Roselle came down soon after 8 am to put the turkey in the oven and make herself a cup of tea, took it upstairs and went back to bed till about 11 o’clock. After breakfast Dad and I opened some of our parcels. We did not have them all because the family brought theirs to give when they came. We didn’t have time to open them then, we opened them during the evening.

I could have opened the Canadian ones, but I was not permitted to go in the room where they were, which was in the spare bedroom, because Roselle’s gift to me was in this room, and I had not to see it before she gave it to me. When she brought it down she put it in the front room, then I was called for her to give it to me. Well I looked, it was a three tier trolley, the tiers are of red metal, the mountings are imitation of gold metal. On four wheels, it’s really a beautiful trolley. I told Rose this was a too expensive gift to me, but she had seen it and she wanted me to have it. I’m really pleased with it.

Dad give me a lovely brooch. Roselle had told him I had admired it at De Gruchy’s  and asked him if he wanted to give it to me, he was pleased to do so, then there was your lovely stole. Kay gave me a lovely tea cosy and an evening bag ‘white’, Doreen a very nice TV lamp in the shape of a ship's wheel,  with a ship in the centre which will light up when we have it fixed with an adaptor. Margaret gave me a beautiful nightdress, blue colour. Cyril and Grace a lovely green silk cushion. Snowdon and Aileen a lovely jewellery set, that is brooch and earrings, Douglas some very nice paper serviettes with a maple leaf. David a small wall plaque. It’s very pretty , it’s a bird on a branch.

From Miriam (Mim) a very nice metal table gong in the shape of a horse shoe. From Lulu a box of mixed sweets, then from the snowball I had a 1 ½ lbs slab of Brazil nut chocolate containing the little hammer to break it.

But first of all when Dad and I came down to breakfast we both found a parcel on our plate. It was a cup and saucer, plate and side plate, we both had the same, they are lovely. Then from Margaret yesterday when they gave a party to the family, they had made up parcels for each one, they were hidden upstairs and downstairs even in the bathroom. Each one had to find their own gifts, mine was in a bedroom on the bed under the eiderdown. In fact it was Kay who found it as she was looking for hers. Well my parcel was a tin of sweets and a nice plastic apron. Dad had a dozen packets of matches.

I had better tell you Dad’s gifts if I can find them, a nice tie from you, from Cyril he had a nice pair of slippers which they call ’zyppees’. They are really for when you travel. He should wear them in the evening, they are lovely and warm. From Snowdon he had a nice pair of grey woollen gloves, from Kay he had a lovely red cushion for his chair when he sits at table, he’s pleased with it. From Doreen and Nick he had a nice standard ash tray, from Margaret he had a box of liqueurs and tobacco from Charles. From Roselle and myself we gave him a nice fancy waistcoat, this he has to change, it’s on the small side. From Douglas he had a pair of socks, from David he had a nice bottle pourer, then from the snowball he had a shoe cleaning set, this is all I can think of. Oh no, from Aunt B I had some money, Aunty does not give to the men. I can’t tell you about the family, it would mean too much thinking for me, then I could not find exactly all they had. We did very well don’t you think?

We had quite a nice time at Margaret’s yesterday, but we did not stay very late, we were back home at 10:45. You know we are still tired from Christmas, it needs the week to get over it, but there, it doesn’t end there for on Saturday the last day of the year the family will be going to dinner at the Ritz Hotel. Kay and Arthur will not be with us, their usual friends had asked them to go with them to dinner at the Grand Hotel. Dad and I don’t really want to the Ritz Hotel on Saturday, this will mean such a long evening. We will stay on until the old year out and see the new year in. this will mean getting home on Sunday AM, then this same day 1^st January all the family will be going to Kay for lunch and the remainder of the day. I don’t think we will be late to come back. 

Again on Thursday the family will be going to Doreen, we are really going to be tired for a long time. This is too much for people of 80. We hope you all spent a very nice Christmas and that Santa was good to you all.we all wish you a very healthy and prosperous 1961.

Again many thanks

Love to you all

Lovingly, Mother xxx