Whatyoucallits

Christmas 1945

Manila

 

Dear folks,

Well Xmas is just about over for another year and next time maybe the situation will be a little different. It surely ought to be. It has been quite a nice day around here although I had to end it up working. It seems we passed up a report about two weeks ago assuming that we would break up and not have to do it but last night we got orders to have it in by 9:00 tomorrow morning so I had to get it out tonight. Last night we had a rather interesting movie, and [sic] old one but I never seen it, “Enter Arsene Lupin.” It was quite good. After the movie we had a little get together in the mess hall and sang some carols and then had some food, apple and pineapple pie with ice cream. It was real nice and one of the nicest things I have seen in the Army at Xmas time. They had the mess hall decorated up and it made every one feel pretty good I believe.

This morning I was going to go over to the Xmas services in the Chapel but I woke up about 10 minutes before it was to start so I gave it up. I got up at about 11:00 and showered and dressed for dinner. We had a really good dinner and in fact almost more than most of us could eat – turkey, potatoes, gravy, corn, asparagus, pickles, biscuits, dressing, lima beans, iced cocoa, fruit cake, mince pie, and ice cream. When I finished I was really full. Along about mid afternoon we got ambitious and a few of us played about five games of volleyball before supper. It was good exercise and I don’t think it did any of us any harm. We need it after sitting on our whatyoucallits all the time. Supper was about the same as dinner only not so much but I wasn’t too hungry anyway. After eating I came over and got that work ready and then went to the show “Three Men in White” with Lionel Barrymore. I had seen it long time ago but had forgotten how it ended so it was pretty good. Now here I am so that’s Xmas in Manila and number three away from the old tree and what should go with it. There had better not be a number four. Today I finish my three years and start on the 4^th tomorrow. Tomorrow I make 5% more than I did today but personally I had hoped that I would never get that far. No mail today so the boys in the post office could have a day off too. Maybe we will get twice as much tomorrow which still may be nothing if it runs as it has lately. The Xmas rush is over now though so maybe it will come through better.

That is about all there is to say and tomorrow it’s back to work so I think I shall stop and head for bed. I hope you all had as good a day as was possible and that the New Year is a lot better for all of us. A lot of things happened in this year. Some very good and some that would have been better had they not happened but I guess that’s what they call life. Anyway good night and I’ll be seein’you

Arlington