The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

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WASHINGTON, Monday—First of all, today, I want to thank all those who so kindly remembered both the President and me, by sending us telegrams or Christmas cards of greeting during this holiday season. It would be impossible to acknowledge individually all the messages that we have received. I don't suppose that we can possibly hope to reach every individual and express our gratitude through the press or over the radio, but to you, who read my column, I want to say this word of thanks. It seems to me that more people than ever sent us messages or gifts and we are deeply grateful.

Our Christmas day was very happy and peaceful, for all the children in the house were well and there was no anxiety as far as I know in any of the faraway family households. We had a slightly confusing conversation to three different points of the compass on Christmas morning, but it was very nice actually to hear and recognize the different voices. Sistie and Buzzie joined in from Seattle and could be quite well understood; Chandler and Elliot, Jr., from Fort Worth, sounded very faraway, however.

I am usually completely exhausted on Christmas night, but for once this was not the case and I think it was because, under Miss Thompson's direction, Mrs. Somerville and Mrs. Lund in our office, had done a great deal of my Christmas preparation for me. In addition, various guests who have come to spend a few days at various times during November and December, have been made to go up and help me wrap Christmas presents. Apparently they really enjoyed doing it, which is a tribute to their unselfish spirits.

This morning I had a ride and then came in to find a large family group at luncheon, augmented by the young Eugene du Ponts and Father Dillard, who is here from France to study youth organizations in this country. We had our usual exciting family arguments on the questions which grew out of his search for information on youth conditions. My husband's mother announced that she could see no point in youth organizing, for no young people could have enough experience to make any contribution to any organization. The statement evoked the hoots of derision which she expected and her eyes twinkled with amusement.

I think my son, Jimmy, thought Father Dillard was a little horrified at the positive opinions we all held and argued out so freely, so he told him that we were really very mild and if he wanted to get an idea of a real Roosevelt argument, he should be with us when the President could be there too!

E.R.

(Copyright, 1938, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, December 27, 1938

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
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Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

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Digital edition published 2008, 2017 by
The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project

Available under licence from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

Published with permission from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

TEI-P5 edition published on April 28, 2017.

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a UFS wire copy of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
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