Jan 1, 1935

Happy New Year!

In my last letter I forgot to put a number, so today with the New Year I shall start with #1 again.

Between midnight and 1 a.m. this morning I wanted to write a postal card to you but no matter how hard he tried, my sweetheart could not find a postal card in the whole La Salle Hotel. So now you know already where we started the New Year with good friends.

But now I want to tell things in chronological order.

I had a very enjoyable Xmas. We played Santa Klaus for darling Flora Mae. We spent the afternoon with her with a lot of presents. In the evening we went to a movie and then had a cognac at one of Leonard’s friends and we came home very late.

I told you already about the stockings I filled for my darling. Well, I never had more fun than when I watched him take out each little package and carefully unwrap it. And I got an extra kiss for each of the 32 packages* and I also received a beautiful Xmas card with a saying just perfect for both of us, and a gorgeous evening dress, made to order this week especially for last night. Enclosed samples.

The dress was made from the white and silver brocade and the short jacket is red velvet with a matching coat, silver shoes, and a small white pearl evening bag. From the left over materials I made myself a pretty turban. I really looked beautiful. I felt like the prettiest and most elegant woman there. I even went to a beauty parlor to have my hair and fingernails (not bright red) done.

We were together with Gwen and Ed Bishop. She is the one we tried to see horseback riding on my birthday. It was a great beginning for the New Year. We drank quite a bit and several times to your good health and well being and a good 1935.

After supper we went to a walk-a-thon. You probably remember the marathon dancing. Here instead of dancing these poor people are walking or dragging themselves around for 22 days continuously now.

Leonard knows the manager and he announced us when we arrived over the microphone. I felt very funny having to stand up and get applause. We stayed only a very short time. By the way, at the La Salle Hotel we were followed by a newspaper photographer. If they print a picture I will of course send you a copy. We went to several other places and came home at 7:15 a.m. It was the most beautiful New Year’s Eve I ever had.

I better go to bed now to sleep out my hang-over.

Love,
Trudelchen

(On the edge of the letter, In German)

Greetings to you all. We celebrated the most beautiful New Year’s eve in our lives, with my beautiful sweetheart the prettiest young woman in the world. I wish you all as much happiness as Trudelchen is bringing me.

Devotedly,
Leonard

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* In her handwritten corrections to the typescript of her translation, she inserted the Yiddish word chalomes before “packages.” But that doesn’t seem to make sense. It seems to mean “dreams.”

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