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letter
Letter to Terrie, 25 December 1970 — Christmas morning on guard
Charlie's two-page letter to Terrie dated 25 December 1970, reassembled from its scans (dad257 page 1, dad258 page 2). Christmas morning, hot and muggy, on guard once again and feeling little cheer. He's seen the Bob Hope show — like the TV version, most jokes flat but the girls a welcome change, and at least now he can say he saw Bob Hope. He's receiving odd Christmas cards from strangers because his address appeared in a newspaper, plus notes from Terrie's parents and her sister Sandy. He's sober but homesick and 'terribly horny,' trying to be a good boy, expecting to get drunk the next day, short on mail from Terrie, and promising to write at least every other day.
What the letter is
Christmas morning, 25 December 1970. Charlie is on guard, the night hot and muggy, and the holiday brings “really don’t feel much cheer.” The bright spot is the Bob Hope show, which he files with his usual dryness — like the TV version, most of the jokes flat, but the girls a welcome change, and worth it just to say he was there. The mail brings strange Christmas cards from strangers (his APO address had run in a newspaper) along with notes from Terrie’s family. Sober, homesick, and missing her mail, he signs off promising to write more often.
Transcription
Dec 25
Dear Terrie,
Well here it is Christmas morning and I really don’t feel much cheer. It is a hot muggy night and I’m on guard once again.
I did see the Bob Hope Show and it is just like the TV show. Most of his jokes fell flat but the girls weren’t [bad] — it was nice for a change. I should have slept but at least now I’ll be able to say I’ve seen Bob Hope.
I’m getting all sorts of weird X-mas cards since my address apparently was in the Times. I didn’t know there were so many daffy people in the world. I also got a note from your parents and Sandy too. Well Sandy — I love her and want her body! I’m sober but terribly horny.
Well — merry X-mas. I’m trying to be a good boy. I’ll probably get drunk tomorrow. I haven’t received much mail from you lately. Well as of today I still love you. I’ll try to write at least every other day.
Love Charles
What the letter records
Christmas without cheer. The flattest holiday note in the corpus — hot, muggy, on guard, homesick. Charlie doesn’t dress it up; the cheer is supplied, weakly, by Bob Hope and the novelty of strangers’ cards.
The teasing about Sandy. “Well Sandy — I love her and want her body!” — the kind of in-family ribbing (Sandy being Terrie’s sister, Sandra) that runs through the letters; affectionate, a little outrageous, and aimed at making Terrie laugh from eight thousand miles away.
“Trying to be a good boy.” The refrain of the whole correspondence — the fidelity he keeps insisting on, here paired honestly with “terribly horny” and the expectation he’ll get drunk the next day. The mix of longing, boredom, and resolve is the whole mood of the rear-area Christmas.
Scans
