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[[preprinted]] TELEPHONE, MONROE 825
[[image - logo of CHICAGO ALLIED PRINTING TRADES COUNCIL]]236 
1437 WEST OHIO STREET
CHICAGO [[/preprinted]]

December 26, 1913.

Dearest Dad:-

I am so glad that your Christmas tree reached you in time for your Christmas celebration, and I hope that you had as happy a time with it as we did with ours.  We had asked Miss Henry and Miss Franklin to join us in our Christmas eve celebration.  I bought a dear little tree just around the corner for twenty cents, and we trimmed it with gay colored balls, silver tinsel and pink candles and enjoyed the lighted tree all through our dinner.  We had it standing on a little table in the little room off the dining room and altogether had a very happy time.  The Municipal Christmas tree festival took place on the labke front at six o'clock so we postponed dinner till seven-thirty as Miss Franklin and Miss Henry wanted to see it.  Raymond and I did not go down, but I understand from many who were there that it was a very beautiful festival.  The huge Christmas tree was beautifully trimmed in festoons of silver and gold tinsel and hundreds of electric lights and at the appointed time the lights on the tree and the arches in the background all burst into light.  The Swedish Choirs were assembled in the balcony of the Art Institute and about two blocks north in the balcony of the Chicago Atheletic Club were the opera singers and the Paulist Choir.  First one number would be sung by one group and then by the other alternating so as to reach the crowds of people in the range of each choir.  Each number was preceded by the heralds from the opera company who would trumpet from the balcony from which that number was to be sung.  It is estimated that about one hundred thousand people were present and that the festival created a great community spirit.

Christmas eve itself was the blackest day I believe that I have ever lived through.  It was just as black as night until about four-thirty in the afternoon and was much more noticeable because we had no street lights.  The city authorities did not dare have the lights turned on because men were working on the lights all over the city and they were afraid that they could not call off every man from his job and some might be electrocuted should the lights be turned on.  It was really just about as spooky as one could imagine.

Yesterday, Christmas day, Raymond and I had dinner with the Maynards.  Mr. and Mrs. Maynard are English friends of Raymond's and their young daughter Frieda who is now at