Letter No. 23.

Dear Heinz

Yesterday mother sent you a Christmas parcel consisting of 1 package pumpernickel, 1 salami sausage, 1 tin small frankfurters, 1/2 1b. boiled sweet, 4 bars marzipan,[1] 16 tea bags and tobacco. We assume you know the small tea bags to be put in hot water left for a few minutes according to taste light or dark respectively mild or strong.[2] The pumpernickel I have wrapped quite airtight, so I hope it will arrive in fresh condition,The salami could not be got as hard as wished looking out all over New York, but I have been assured not to get spoilt during the weeks delivery may take. wrapped too acid boric impregnated paper round, but should you have any doubt about the freshness of the sausage don't eat it (the parcel is the 3rd sent to you).

To comply with your request to have sent stockings and a pipe, Alice prepared another sent off to day containing 2 pairs of stockings, 1 tin sardines, 2 tins paste,1 pipe, 1 pumpernickel and & cake. Sender of the parcel Miss Bry, as are allowed to send only one parcel pro person.

When reading the letter you have addressed to Mrs, Dr. Baumann[3] we noticed as your given address T-10 while there was a distinctly written I on the letter to us indicating your new address. We suppose that I is the right letter.

If there is fine weather tomorrow, we consider to go to see Alice at the Rockland State Hospital.[4]

With best regards in love

[handwritten] Your father

[handwritten] lots of love your mother

Notes:

1. Nice to know that Dad's taste for marzipan was of long standing!

2. Guess tea bags had not been a known thing pre-war?! [Although I note in the Wikipedia article on tea bags, a German invented the first tea bag packing machine in 1929.

3. Don't know who this is

4. Presumably Alice Joseph worked/lived there. Rockland State Hospital was in Orangeburg, NY, which would correspond with other remarks about Dad's parents going across the river to see her.