December 23, 1938

Dear Ellen,

"Merry Christmas"

I wrote you a letter last night but got down to the store this morning and decide that it wouldn't get to you before Monday so I decided to write one special.  I was delightfully surprised to receive you swell card and nice letter when I reached home last night.  The hankerchief was swell, with my initial and everything.  Thanks loads.

I don't know how long it will take me to write this with all the interruptions. I just had to write a delivery order for Dick and looking out for customers.  There are 6 of us down here today and we are trying to get rid of as many trees as we can.  The day is foggy and damp with plenty of water on the streets from the rain and sleet we got yesterday.  We look like a pine forest or woods of some kind with trees strung all around. We really ought to sell a lot of trees today but who knows.

Les just got back with a truck load of silver trees.  We take some trees over and have silver paint sprayed on them and makes them look real pretty.  We also have red, white and blue ones.  Real snazzy don't you think.  Yesterday the wind blew so hard that we couldn't keep any of the trees standing on their feet.  As fast as we would stand them up they would blow over and we finally got disgusted and left them lying.

I can't remember what I wrote last night but I guess you won't mind if I duplicate a little.  The crowds are beginning to thicken coming to the store.  The store is located several blocks from the center of town and they offer free bus service to and from the circle.  They unload in the rear of the store right where we have our trees.  It makes it nice for us but at times the crowds get pretty thick just waiting for a bus.  I've only made a couple small sales this morning but I hope to get going good later on.  Most of the people want one for practically nothing.  They think that since it is so close to Christmas we had better sell them cheap rather than have them left on our hands.  But we don't mind because part of them are on consignment and if we don't sell them, we don't have to pay for them.  We have quite an assortment of cemetary wreathes too.  They sell about as well as anything.

Well I suppose this letter so far has been rather broken and uninteresting but considering the conditions and everything it is the best I can do.  I'm not much of a letter writer anyhow and it's hard for me to sit down and write one with out any interruptions.  I should have written soon after we got home but I couldn't get started.  I guess I had better end this now and get back to work. 

I wish you a Very Merry Christmas and hope you have a good time.

Love,

Larry