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and a Christmas greeting from Joe Warren. Rainy and foggy all day. I was going to put up the sign on Chester St. today but it was not quite dry. Built a fire in my studio and painted two little sketches. Wrote to Bonyer. This evening Sara and I went over to Girards to see their Xmas presents for the children and when we returned arranged our presents to them. They brought their stockings over here today and we hung them up in the dining room and put in them what would go in and laid the remainder on the mantle piece. 

Saturday Dec. 25" 1886. Christmas. 
It cleared in the night and has been bright and colder today. The children came over with Girard and Mary and got their Christmas gifts with Tom and the servants and all seemed pleased and happy. I walked down for the mail but was a few minutes too late. The office had closed. When I came back I went to work at the lamps and put them all in order. When I finished that I attacked the kitchen sink and drain which had got out of order and worked at it until 2 o'clock, a most dirty and disagreeable job and I was thoroughly tired at the end of it. I dressed myself and walked over to the Toboggan slide which is nearly done. There were nearly a hundred visitors there and people were coming and going constantly. Sara and I had our dinner alone in marked contrast to the Christmases of the past. We talked of our dear Mother and her activity in preparing for this festive time, of dear Gertrude and Maurice and Gussie and the sad troubles with her husband and children. Girards wife has a letter from Laura a day or two ago in which she spoke with regret of the dear old home and showing evidently that she misses the freedom of it she has so wantonly sacrificed. She spoke of her grandfather but made no allusion to any of the others. Mr & Mrs Cantine sent my father some lovely roses as did Mrs. Van Deusen and Mrs. Coykendall sent him a beautiful basket of fruit. Mary Ann Shultis came to see him. He was dressed and looked and is better than he was a year ago. Nannie came home from N.Y. last night, not much improved. Sara went down to see her. She also sent Emily Wood a Christmas present with her characteristic benevolence of heart remembering the sorrowful and the unfortunate. I walked down to the mail again in the evening and got there 20 minutes before the office opened. I got a book for Sara she sent to Bonyer for and a couple of letters but no letter from Lucy. 

Sunday 26" It snowed today with every indication of a prolonged storm but partially cleared. It was colder this morning 8° above zero. This evening it is snowing again and I hope will restore the sleighing which was pretty well spoiled by the rain yesterday. I wrote Bonyer and sent him the text for a little advertising pamphlet of our lots for sale. Have attended to many little duties. Girard came over this afternoon and we went over to my studio to get some card board for some mats for engravings he is framing. I showed him some of the little pictures without telling him what they were for He admired them and said he thought I would be sure to sell them. Poor old Park is suffering from something like asthma and goes wheezing about. I do not know what to do for him. He only seems uncomfortable but is not ill and eats his food as usual.

Monday 27" It snowed again this morning but only for a short time then the weather cleared most brilliantly. I drove down town in the cutter, came back and took Sara to Kingston and returning left her at Nannies while I came up to the carriage house and had Henry fasten the sign to the posts, which Tom had brought up from the lumber yard and then they drove over to Chester St with it, I following in my sleigh. I designated the place to set it up and came back after Sara and brought her home, and immediately returned 

Transcription Notes:
the "on" I transcribed in some instances may actual be "our" so should go check that again all done - 1 [[?]] ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-05-13 17:12:24 .