East Sandling Dec 27th/15 My Dear Mother, I rec' your letter the other day and your parcel today. I guess you will be surprised when I tell you that I just came out of the hospital today. I was in for Influenza, that is a cold in the head and a sore throat. I paraded sick last Tuesday and the Doctor told me I had better go to the hospital. There are quite a few of our lads in the hospital with cold. It is so hard to be any other way in the mud and such rainy weather. I thought I had better go and I'm certainly glad that I did as that is the only place where we can get a cold cured. I has a good rest in a good bed and got rid of my cold so I'm not too bad now. The lads brought some letters up to me and I rec your dated Dec 5th. When I arrived here a camp today I found that my parcel was waiting at the orderly room for me; and it was certainly a fine parcel. I thank you very much for it and it arrived in fine condition. Those candies and cake were splendid and thank Father very much for the gloves he sent me. It isn't very good weather at present to wear them but they will be useful before long. Tell Arleen that the wristlets are fine and very handy in this country and thank her very much for them. Thank Cecil for the gloves and chewing gum. I will write them some of these times as soon as I get some of my letters answered. I spent Xmas day in the hospital. We had turkey and plum pudding in the hospital for dinner. When we woke up in the morning there was a stocking pinned to the end donated to the hospital by different church clubs in Toronto. My stocking was send by St Margarets College Toronto and I give you the contents of it. 2 chocolate bars, pencil. Writing paper, envelopes, s stick of gum, package cigarettes, but seeing as I didn't smoke I passed them on and some reading matter. I also got a pair of wollen gloves from the Canadian Red Cross Society and when I got back to camp I found a parcel which everyone in the battalion got. A writing pad, fountain pen and a cake of maple sugar from some ladies society in Wpg. The fountain pen isn't very good but the remainder of the things are all right. Tonight Mac Woods and I got a parcel from a Mrs Hay, Mrs Frank Wibbs sister. She had written to us before and asked us to visit her but we haven't had any leave since. It was very thoughtful of her to think to send us a box. We are going to write and thank her for it. When I got home today I found a letter from Miss Drummond-Hay a sister of Mr Hay's in Belmont. He had written to his sister and told her that we hadn't any relations over here and so she wrote and asked Mac and I if we would go up there next leave. But we will have to write and tell her that we can't got any leave as we just returned. It was very kind of her to ask us and she told us the trains to catch in London and exactly how to get there. Well Mother I have to drop a line to Father yet and answer several more. Your loving Son Jim Has Father left for the west yet? I hope he goes as a trip would certainly do him a world of good. Jim Fargey