"We are anxious to see see your Norby story"

"All the kids are looking forward to Christmas."

Dec. 13, 1957

Dear Mother,

Please note the address – we haven’t moved. Once when I wrote I put the store address on by mistake. I’ve received the mail from you, though, at the store.

Hope you’re well & looking forward to Christmas. I’ve enjoyed talking with Lottie and hearing about her trip to Nebraska. Glad that she could make it even if I wasn’t able to.

Glad you like the sewing machine. I was happy that Lottie & Pop could make the arrangements.

We’re all well & busy. I’m still working and taking care of things at home, too. I’m now doing all buying for the store and enjoy my work.

Randy is busy with swimming lessons, Cub Scouts, Church Choice, Sunday Schools’s school. He’s almost busier than I am.

The girls are definitely not babies any more. I’m enclosing a picture we took just last week in front of the fireplace.

All the kids are looking forward to Christmas. We brought a new bicycle for Randy which he isn’t expecting so he’ll be quite surprised.

Jeanne Johnson has stopped by to see us several times in the past few months. She’s now a stewardess for Northwest Airlines and lives in Seattle. Every so often she has a few hours in Portland between flights and so comes out. She’s going to be here most of Christmas Day.

I’ve invited the Johnsons down for Christmas, too, but I don’t know whether or not they will make it. We visited them at Thanksgiving. All of them are well and the kids getting by. ... Melody is bigger than I am, & Jill is coming up fast. They are good kids – Lottie can certainly be proud of them.

Haven’t heard from Marie for a year. Have you had a letter from her? She’s as bad a correspondent as I am.

Haven’t heard from Martin either. Don’t have the slightest idea where he is.

Well, Mother, hope you have a Merry Christmas. We’ll be thinking of you.

Love
Betty

"One of their favorite games is to play 'train'"

Portland, Oregon
Dec. 16, 1959

Dear Mother,

Enjoyed hearing your voice on the phone. I didn’t send your Christmas package although it is all bought and wrapped. Please let me know what your plans are and when you would like me to send you the gift.

Our new house is very much like the other one except that it is somewhat smaller. Morgan wanted some money to invest in his business and selling our home seemed the easiest way to get it.

This house is very comfortable and I think it is going to be much easier to keep. I really was a chore to keep that big house as long as I was working.

We certainly enjoyed the trip to Nebraska. The girls often talk about is. One of their favorite games is to play “train.”

Robin is very happy in kindergarten. She’s very interested in school and is learning to read.

Lottie and Jill were down for the weekend a couple of weeks ago. Lottie had a letter from Elin saying Sock wanted them to come to Tacoma for the holidays. Sock will be home from the service for Christmas and Jeanne should be back from Europe.

Were also invited to Tacoma for Christmas so we might have quite a gathering there. Guess we’d better bring sleeping bags.

Jeanne has been touring Europe for two months. She stopped by in September and had dinner with us. She and a friend were between planes on their way to New York and Europe. They were planning to visit about 15 countries. I called Lottie on the phone and got the addresses of the relatives in Denmark & Sweden. Jeanne was going to try to visit them. If Jeanne is in Tacoma for Christmas it will be interesting to hear about her tour.

Well, Mom, guess that about brings you up to date with the Pritchetts. Hope you have a very merry Christmas and that you’re staying well. Do take care of yourself.

Lots of love,
Betty

News from Oregon

Dec. 17, 1956

Dear Mother,

I didn’t mean for my letter writing to become an annual affair, but I guess that is just about what its degenerated to.

I think of all the family often, but there never comes time to get a note off. Maybe I just hate to write.

We have had a busy fall & summer, though we took a trip to Canada on my vacation in August. We drove to Tacoma & left Royce with Lottie while Morgan, Randy, Robin, & myself went on North. We had a lovely trip around the Island, through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and in Vancouver, B.C.

Later on in August Melody came & spent a week with us. She’s getting to be a big girl & we certainly enjoyed having her. She’s awfully good with the little girls.

In September Jeanne Johnson, Elin’s oldest, called up & said she was in town. She came out & stayed three weeks. She had been in Hawaii for almost two years and was on her way home. She’s a very nice, intelligent & good-looking girl. Elin can be very proud of her. After she left here, she went home for a while and then back to Spokane where she’s now nursing in a hospital.

Jeanne said that Stanley is in his second year of college and is studying pre-med. Apparently he’s a very capable fellow and should do very well for himself. Jeanne said that Elin is the same as ever but Ray still isn’t able to do much. He receives compensation for injuries he received several years ago and still has trouble with his back.

In October things were settling down a bit when Morgan’s mother had a stroke. She was moved to a hospital and seemed to be recovering when she suddenly had a second stroke and passed away. Since her other son lives in California and her daughter in Arizona, we were responsible for all the funeral arrangements and details that go with this sort of thing. It was my first experience of this nature.

To keep things in a state of confusion we had another turn of excitement last month. Morgan was in a automobile accident and suffered a broken arm and cut on the forehead. He and two other fellows made a trip to Eugene, Oregon and on the way home the fellow that was driving missed a turn and the car went out of control and rolled down a bank. Morgan was thrown out of the car or he might have even been hurt more seriously. The driver wasn’t hurt at all but the third fellow has a broken back. He’ll be laid up quite some time. Morgan is feeling quite perky now. He still has his arm in a sling but probably he can do away with that before long. The accident was had enough but he could so easily have been killed that we feel pretty lucky.

I’m still working but have received a promotion. My duties are now confined exclusively to burying and managing the notions and soft goods departments in the three stores. It’s a big job but I enjoy it.

The children are growing by leaps and bounds. Randy now comes above my shoulder and weighs over 70 lbs. He’s in the fourth grade and does well. He started wearing glasses last month because he was having trouble focusing his eyes for reading.

Robin is almost three and looking forward to Christmas. She wants a “pepano” (piano) and a dolly. She’s definitely a little girl rather than a baby. She says “Royce is little, but I’m big!”

Royce is a fat happy little butterball. She’s walking now and talks quite a bit. She’s shorter than Robin but weighs almost as much. They are very good companions.

We plan to go to Tacoma for Christmas. We won’t be able to say very long but at least we’ll have a little time to visit. I haven’t seen Lottie since last summer.

Guess that just about takes care of the news at this end. Hope this letter finds you well & that you have a Merry Christmas.

Thanks for the papers you send a while back. I enjoyed reading them. Thanks also for the other package.

B.