My dear wife;-
I have just finished a very fine Christmas dinner with my friends and confreres of the 5th F. Amb. I have been thinking of you all day and wondering if you have had as good a Christmas as I have had. I am just a little afraid you may not, for you see in a sense you were the one that was leaving home while I was at least back among familiar surroundings such as I experienced last year and the year before. However I am very lonesome without you and shall count the days one by one until I am able to meet you again.
The boat did not leave until the afternoon and I had lunch before I went on board. We had a splendid crossing and arrived before dark. I expected to remain in Boulogne over night but was fortunate enough to get a ride in a lorry coming up to our area. Our unit had moved and I was very disappointed in not being able to find it. I was taken in and given a bed by one of the other field ambulances and this morning the OC sent me off in a car to find my unit. I had some difficulty in locating it but managed to do so about noon. The morning was fine but snow came on during the afternoon and to night the scene in quite Christmas like and reminds one of Canada. It is not very cold though. You may think that the ride out in the lorry would be very cold but it was not.
We had a first class dinner. The men had their feast at 4 P.M. and the officers dined later. We had turkey, plum pudding, fruit nuts, candy etc., a real home like Christmas dinner.
I found a considerable amount of mail waiting for me, letters papers & parcels. So far I have opened only one of the latter, one from Frances containing socks cigars, cigarettes, a tooth brush, candy figs, raisins and I don’t know what not. The other parcels I shall open to-morrow when I get rested up a bit. One is from Mrs F. D. Wilson.
Please begin sending out our announcements with one to Lt. Col. D. P. Kappele & officers of 5th Cdn F. Amb. I shall send you a list of others later.
Be of good cheer dear girl.
Your loving husband
Harold W McGill