16 Dec 1932
John Griffin to Mother / Washington D.C.
Dear Mother:
I have been waiting for a letter from you before writing, but if I wait any longer this won't arrive before Xmas, and want it to. I hope that there is one when I get home tonight.
We got a letter from Dot's mother last night and from what she said things must be an a pretty bad way out there. She said that it had been 16 below for the last three nights and that everyone was in bed with the flu. She had been in bed for a week and that the kids were in bed then. I see by the paper just now that it was 2 below in Salt Lake City last night, and so I suppose that you haven't had much relief yet. Here we are getting the first touch of the cold wave. Last night and today it is 14 above, which is real cold for Washington. It is so wet here that when it gets cold it just goes right through you. Snow and lower temperatures are predicted for tonight. If it lasts as long here as it has at home, we will have a cold snowy Christmas. We have had more cold weather already this year than we had all together last year. We aren't kicking though and are darned glad that we have a well heated apartment to live in. It does seem nice to get up in the morning, close the window and have it nice and warm in a few minutes.
When I got home tonight your letter was here. I was surely glad to get it, and to find that you were apparently all well. At least you didn't say anything about anyone being sick. I was out of work one day this week with a cold in my back. I rubbed it with liniment and put hot towels on it, and went to work the next day. I feel better now, and other than that neither of us has been sick at all for some time. There is a lot of flu here too. There are from three to six out every day at work, and it seems to be going the rounds.
Last night we took some packages over to the post office for home. We didn't send much, but I think that Dot is a good buyer, and that the things are practical, and quite nice if they are inexpensive. We figured that we would rather send something home than have an expensive Christmas ourselves, and so if Santa brings Dot a new pair of sox and me a new tie, that is about all that we expect and will be happy with that. We are planning to eat Christmas dinner with Ruth and her husband, and then we will probably go to the Utah Xmas ball and I think that we will have a real merry Christmas.
I was thinking all day today how nice it would be to be home and see some real snow, and wouldn't it be fun to take the kids up to camp Kiesel again this year. Here I have only three Deacons, and only two of them come regularly. There are not many places to go here --that is, places where you can go hiking, etc. We are all going for an airplane ride some one of these days the, if the weather ever gets good. They all have their parent's consent and bother me to death to take them, so I guess the first good Saturday, this is what we will do. It would be nice if we could have about ten more like these three, and we would have some real good times. You see back here most of the people are here to go to school, and by the time they get through school their kids are only four or five years old, and then they usually go home to settle down.
The sample of the tree looks like it is a real pretty one. I don't know whether we will have one this year or not. I haven't seen any yet and I don't remember if there were any around here last year or not. Dot will weep long and loud I guess if we don't get one, and so I guess if we can't fine one anywhere I'll have to go out in the park at night and get one.. I think that we will find one somewhere though I am beginning to wonder why they don't show up. It wouldn't be Christmas without one to me.
We get off from school this middle of next week, for Christmas, and get three days off from work this year. This will make a pretty ,nice vacation, and it is good to think that you get that time, and know that you are getting paid for it. Congress is having quite a battle back here over our salaries.
Well, I must sign off now, and go to bed. Let me wish you a very merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year, though I, hope to be writing you before the
New Year arrives.
Loads of love to all, John.
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