11 Dec 1928
John Griffin to Mother / Grenoble, France
Two weeks from tonight, old Santa comes sliding down the chimney. If this [letter] makes good connections with the boats and trains you should get it just about that time, but if it's delayed as they usually are, it will be sometime near New Years when it arrives. Anyway I'll wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year again for luck. I do hope everybody is well at home - after all that is one of the best gifts we can have. I am sorry I was not able to send things home this Christmas. Later on after I get my suit made and see how I stand financially after it is all paid for, I'll try and send something home to you.
I suppose I told you that frere Caldwell was released and right now he is down in Italy. It is about 10 days since he was released and we don't know yet who his successor is. It is about as hard to get news around here as it is to find friends. I suppose however that he [the mission president] will wait until after Christmas now before he makes the changes, as most every branch is planning some kind of a party for Christmas, and if he moved the Elders now, that would wreck the plans.
Our plans for our 'soiris' are coming along quite nicely. It's going to require some work to get the three, get it set up and decorated. Then besides that, [we need to] be sure that you have enough members for the program and last and most important, that [we] have some people come to it. Everyone seems to be taking quite an interest in things and I think it will go off all right...
Back