Saturday, Dec. 24, 1938

Went to Waterloo, church etc. Getting ready for Christmas Dinner. Roads are awful muddy at present.

Friday, Dec. 23, 1938

Still cloudy. We got Christmas cards from Fr. Orlet, Josie Keller, Irene Helfrich, Gusta Dudenhoeffer. Shelled popcorn, cleaned etc. Christmas Program at Blackburn School this afternoon, couldn’t go to much mud & Hecker School has there to nite. Everybody welcome.

Thursday, Dec. 22, 1938

Raining today & foggy. Went to Smithton this afternoon. Leo & family came this eve. they helped clean turkey & trim Christmas tree; couldn’t get there car started, so pap pushed it apiece till it started, end of town.

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 1938

Fried down 1 gal. bacon; Baked fruit cake. Pap got hair cut; brought candy & oranges etc. Guy here trimed [sic] one of our trees, interfered with telephone wires.

Tuesday, Dec. 20, 1938

Washed, ironed; scrubbed basement; cold packed 6 qts pork sausage. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary came this afternoon; cleaned up from butchering. Wm. Ganley brought our turkey up Mon. 12 1/2 lb. @ 20 [cents]. Got the Chicago Mail Order everything is O.K. Got Calandar [sic] from Chas. Grosses at Waterloo.

Monday, Dec. 19, 1938

We butchered 1 hog & Uncle Fred 1 – 186 lbs. @ $7.50. Leo & family & Henry & family. Billy. helped. Emil came over awhile; Josie Keller came out, took lot of sausage meat etc & egg along back; had supper here; took stuff along for other families.

Sunday, Dec. 18, 1938

Went to mass. Fr. Simon had it, sermon after mass for married people only. Seen in paper Leo Cortner is in hospital at Belleville. Eugene Neff was just dismissed, he got hurt, when working with carpenters at remodeling St. Mary’s Church. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary were up stayed for chicken soup dinner; we played cards this afternoon; got ready to butcher, set kettles & put water in etc. Mr. Klein & Ignatz & Frank Birkner stopped in & took Uncle Fred along this morn. down to Red Bud, to see the straw baler guy, they weren’t pd yet for there bails; but he paid up right away, no trouble.

Saturday, Dec. 17, 1938

Nice day. Fixed tree stand etc. Renneckers called this eve. to come over for a solo game. Lester Gregson Emil & Steve & pap played & Olive & Bertille & Gus & Katie Klotz played 6 hand pinochle, breaking up even. Gregson boys & Klotz’s girls played games. Served were 5 cookies & apples.

Friday, Dec. 16, 1938

Raining this eve. Pap went to see J. Hempe, & to Waterloo got egg mash. Wm. Ganley was here on business. Perry May & the hacker guy was here; still didn’t sell our timber yet; they went up in woods & came back here again. J. Keller wrote a letter, putting in an order for sausage & meat, when we butcher next Mon; she is coming out in afternoon.

Thursday, Dec. 15, 1938

Went butchering at Henry’s, so did Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary; was done by 2 o’clock; with sausage & everything. Berniece Wagner got 1 doz. eggs; she is going to have birthday celebration, Sat. afternoon, 11 classmates; her birthday is Monday. So many people have rabbit fever. Chas. Schillings called there girl Rose Mary. Went to Orlets, played cards, had lunch.