Tuesday 22nd
… Listened to the Brains Trust in the evening—I’d never done so before—Joad sounded like you’d expect. Good news, Russians on Don still advance—almost a rout. Rommel nearing Tripoli. zrd zop zru zlb zwf
Thursday 24th
Another lovely clear morning. Daddy, Margaret, David Wolfe and myself went out in the morning and obtained a very squat Christmas (yew) tree. … after lunch … Margaret and I went out for another walk, getting holly and hawthorn and sloes for decoration. Also one primrose … After tea we knitted, and Daddy read chapter II of War and Peace. zwr zfl zfr zcl zwk zcf zbn
Margaret and I went to the MoI film show at the WI—a very good lot—cartoons on digging for victory, on vitamins for health, films on dockers and shipbuilders, and the siege of Tobruk. zfl zfm zcb zpg zhk zwf
News good—Middle Don offensive continues. Daddy read us a ‘Christmas story, 1942’ from Punch—extremely funny about a would-be operational dynamo. zfl zru znw
Bed, after Daddy’s yearly Christmas eve poem: zpo zcl zfl
One Xmas eve when Santa Claus
Came to a certain house —
Friday 25th
We exchanged what presents we’d got in Mommy and Daddy’s bed, à la pre-war birthday. … I got two books—’Monkey’—the most widely read Chinese novel (in China) and ‘The Amateur Poacher’. … good news—Darlan [former head of the Vichy government, who had made a deal with the Allies in north Africa] assassinated. There will be repercussions. The nationality of the hero is ‘not known’ [he was a French royalist]. zfl zcl znb zwf
