France
December 31st

Dear Lettie

I receive the box you sent me on the 26th and every thing was in good shape but the tin box was all to pieces but that cloth saved it. Those card board boxes are the only ones to stand the racket and I received Jeans one at the same time and it was OK. You can tell her that the fellows wanted to know who made the candy for they said to tell her to send some more for it was the best we have had. Those milk tablets are all right. We fared pretty well at Christmas. Mrs. Cutts, she was Alex Walkers sister up at Aberdeen, Alex knows them, sent me a nice pair of mitts her little girl knitted at school and a Christmas card which I will enclose in this letter and we got some Santa Clause stockings from Hamilton. Only one to 5 or 6 of us. I supposed you will be surprised if I say to you we were at a football game last Wednesday afternoon between the A. S. C. and the 15th but the 15th won and it was just like a day in May. The pipe band played them on the field. We are still in billets and we are just going to get inoculated. Well I have just got inoculated. I don't know whether it is to make us bullet proof or not but that is 5 times inside a year. I have just got a card from Aunt at Inveruie G. Petrie's mother . Our platoon are having a big supper to night. I think there are 35 of us and there is a French Family in the house below us here so they are doing the cooking and we are to have it in their big kitchen. It is Sunday but I suppose the better the day the better the deed. The stores is open all day Sunday the same as other days. Well we had a bath yesterday and clean clothes at a coal mine. I suppose you will think it a funny place to get a bath but when I tell you it was the most up to date and best bathhouse I ever was in. It beats the Y. M. C. A. in Toronto. It rains quite a lot just now but it hasn't been very cold and some days are sunny just like spring and I hope it keeps that way when we go in the trenches again. Tomorrow is New Years day and I suppose you will be having a Levee. Is your mother with you just now? How did you like those 15th Battalion Cards? I seen some nice centre pieces for tables and things here in a store and I have been thinking of buying one for you if I thought you might not scold too much for I never get to spend my money now at all. So if I have a notion I may send something. Did you get that money I sent you early in December and those badges I sent to George and I wrote to you again on Christmas day. I often wonder if you get all my letters. Well I haven't had my clothes off only for a bath for nearly three months. We are being supplied with new badges. They are the 48th badges just the same as I had and the buttons on the tunics is the 48th Highlanders on them. I have another hat that it is more like the tams we had last winter but it is made of khaki cloth with a tassel on the top and we wear the Davidson Kilt of course. We have the pants just now but there is always some of the officers wearing the kilt. There is one of the 134th fellows the last time we were in the trenches on listening post one night and there was a German came along and he took him prisoner so he is away in England for a eleven days holiday and 75 francs for pocket money. It was just because he was lucky for you might not get a chance like that again. I will write you again before we go in the trenches for I may not come off so lucky when we go in again. I will now close. Hoping to hear from you soon with the best of love.

Dave