December 25, 1942

Dec. 25, 1942

425 S. Cabrillo

San Pedro, Calif.

Dear Father, Mother and the folks at home,

What a lot of nice presents I got from home! I am certain that I did not deserve them all. At any rate I surely appreciated them all. I want to take this opportunity of thanking all those at home and at grandmother’s who gave me so many things. I will have to tell you all that I got and make some comments about them.

First I got a pair of very snazzy maroon pajamas from mama. The top is striped with white but the pants are plain. I wore them to bed on Christmas Eve and did I sleep! Like a log I guess. Also from mama I got a devotional book and calendar — to say nothing of all those beautiful cookies. Thank you mama for these things. When I come home sometime I will give you a bear hug and a mushy kiss for them.

Then I got a box from Clarice and Vivian & another package but I was supposed to open the box first (it was the box from some candy Al had given her). In the box were 5 little packages with little notes on them, and all around, under and over them were sort of candy strings like beads. These beads had melted enough to want to stick to everything so I got my fingers all sticky undoing the packages, but I didn’t mind. The first package was a Santa Claus candle and the writing on the package was “Because we want to be sure that Santa Claus doesn’t miss you.” The second was a chimney candle and the note was “Because we don’t know if California houses have them and they are essential to Santa Claus.”

Package three was labeled “To tack on your curtains with pins so that it looks Christmasy” and was 4 little bells. The fourth was a porcelain turtle and the note was “This is Vivian the Second to keep you from being lonesome. (So called because both wear enormous protective layers.)” The fifth was a pair of stockings and the note was “To wear immediately. (Be thankful you live in Calif. or you would have got part woolen ones.)”

The sixth package which was separate was an omnibus of American humor and the inscription was “To make you crack many a smile and it’s no fault of ours if you don’t.” There was also a picture of Clarice and Al. I thought this all very cute and I want to say, “ Thank you, Clarice and Vivian.” Oh Snooty, Christmas doesn’t seem real without you!

From Aunt Laurine I got a book-mark, a necktie holder with a dial like thing [at] the back which you can turn to see what kind of a necktie and shirt you should wear with a suit, a picture of her, Vivian & Marybeth and the new piano, also a Christmas card with a paper wallet in which was a dollar to buy something with, altho this wasn’t supposed to be a Christmas present even tho it came at Christmas. Thank you, Aunt Laurine.

From grandmother I got a beautiful red tie that’ll give you the pink-eye if you look at it too long and a beautiful card. Thank you, grandmother.

From Aunt Esther I got a book, “The Master’s questions to his disciples.” Thank you, Aunt Esther.

From Verner and Marold I got a book called “The Damon Runyon Omnibus.” (I see where I am going to waste some time.) Thank you Verner and Marold.

Besides these I got lots of cards, etc which helped to make everything more like Christmas. Once again, thank you all, for your part in making my Christmas nice.

I was at Pastor Wellington’s Christmas Eve instead of today because they were invited away today so they asked me to come then instead. Mrs. Wellington’s mother from Minnesota was there. Also Miss Wendell, who is doing home mission work in the new housing projects around here and who hails from the middle west. So we all felt the same way about Christmas out here — it just didn’t seem right that was all.

Today when I was coming home form breakfast downtown, Mrs Johnson asked me over for dinner so m as usual, I am being royally treated.

This morning, I, of course, went to Julotta. There wasn’t too many people there but I thought the service very nice. By the way, at Wellington’s on Christmas Eve, they sang (not me, of course) some Swedish songs, including the one Vivian learned for mama one year but which I won’t attempt to spell. I felt like bawling almost because [it] sounded just like it always had at grandmother’s.

Till today this week has been a sort of dampish, wet week. It rained earlier in the week and beginning Wednesday evening about 5 oclock it rained more or less steadily till sometime last night. Coming home from work, I was sort of afraid of the consequences, but all I seems to have done is promote my cold from the sore throat to the runny-nose and plugged-up-feeling stage. By Sunday I should be okay I think. Last night it cleared up however, so that it is clear & sunshiny today. However, it is quite windy out, which is rather new in Calif, at least to me.

I guess I have forgotten to tell you that everybody working for the Shell Development Company here got a three day vacation, Sunday, Saturday & Friday (altho of course not in that order.) I thought this was very nice. I feel very sorry for Zene, the lab head. His father died Wednesday morning. That sure is some Christmas present to get. Zene, incidentally became a father about a month ago.

I am enclosing a copy of the announcement for the choir service at the church here. What do you think of it? The cover design is mine, and I also made the stencil. The announcement for the Children’s program hasn’t come out yet but I made that too. However, I think that this one is nicer.

Last Friday evening, the L.L. decorated the church, that is, put up the Christmas trees etc. Afterwards there was a taffy pull (bring your own sugar). When I heard of a taffy pull I had visions of people standing way across the room from each other and pulling yards and yards of candy back and forth. Actually, if you do that, you’ve been making taffy for years and years and are no longer an amateur. If you’re doing it for the first time, you have all you can manage if you are able to manipulate the mess in your two hands. You smear your hands with butter and then work the half-cooked sticky stuff back and forth till it gets white and hard. After mine got so it didn’t stick to everything (that is, I could with a little delicate manipulation pick it up, and be able to let go if it afterward) I got disgusted and ate it. It tasted pretty good I thought. I didn’t get any sleep before going to work that night because the decorating wasn’t over till about 10:30 and I got pretty sleepy before morning. However, it may have been that my cold was starting in.

I am getting very spendthrifty lately. I have bought some more books (two technical ones) that cost $12. This wasn’t so bad but I walked into a clothing store this week and bought a brown suit. I feel sort of ashamed of myself for doing it because I know very well I didn’t need it. I guess this is what California does to you.

My work is going about as usual. The think now being studied in detail, as I have mentioned before is the desulfurization & hydrogenation of ordinary gasolines to produce airplane gas. The hydrogenation is a somewhat ticklish problem as yet because you want to hydrogenate the gum-forming olefins, but not the aromatics present since the latter have higher octane numbers than the naphthenes they would be hydrogenated to if it were permitted. So far, the success has been very good.

I was talking to Mr. Cole other other day and he said that the airplane gas now being produced both in quality and quantity is beyond even the dreams of 1940 and 1941 and 1943 will being similar expansion because of the great demand for it. The airplane fuel used in American planes is consistently 100 or 100+ in octane number (in fighting planes, that is). Axis airplane fuel is never more than 90. This doesn’t seem much like a spread but its just the same as the greater pickup of a Ford in first-class mechanical condition over a run of the mill Chevrolet or Plymouth. When you’re fooling around up in the air those 10 points difference mean a lot in the performance of an airplane engine. Furthermore, with higher octane gasoline, higher compression ratios are feasible, the thermal efficiency is therefore increased so that less fuel needs to be carried.

It is almost time to go over to Johnson’s for dinner so I guess I will close. Dwight has gone to visit relatives in Los Angeles so I guess he will not be there.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas

With love

C.P.

P.S. Some dope is singing “Home, Sweet, Home” on the radio.

P.S. I’m lonesome, or rather homesick.