Morning with platoon, cleaning up, etc. Afternoon obtained pass to go and see H. Had a glorious Christmas Eve, far beyond expectations. Good tea, theatre, dinner, and two hours’ solo. Fine evening. Came back on the carrier at 10.30. _Dec. 25th._ Christmas Day in France. Up at 6.30 and marched bathing party into ----. Left them and looked up H. In bed; got him up and had breakfast with him and a walk round, and marched my party back here ---- by 10.30. Wrote two letters and found five waiting for me--long-delayed ones. This was a fine Christmas gift. 11 a.m. Went over to men’s sports till 12.30 lunch. Helped to pay out from 2.30 p.m. till four. Tea and chat till dinner; chicken and plum pudding. _Very good._ Talked till 10.30 and then to bed. Very quiet evening, during which my thoughts were for the most part with the dear old folks at home.... NEXT CHRISTMAS??? _Dec. 26th._ Quiet day. Morning, church parade and men cleaned up. Afternoon, other officers out, so I was O.C. for the time being. Spent two hours censoring eighty letters! Quiet evening. Dinner and chat; bed 10 p.m. Heavy bombardment going on in distance. _Dec. 27th._ Morning, getting ready to move. Moved at 2 p.m. Raining. Got into trenches at 4.30 p.m. In reserve, 1500 yards from enemy--and a nice change for B Co. At night I went on patrol with a man to find a way across country to A Co., who were holding a line to our right front. Awful going, but got there. Came back by road through ---- village and Danger Corner. Out two and a half hours. Slept as well as I could on a narrow board till 7.30 next morning. _Dec. 28th._ Quiet day. Went out at night with C.O. Got lost, and were out three hours. Good joke. _Dec. 29th._ Quiet day. Went out in the morning on voyage of discovery round old trenches. Went in to the left shoulder in mud and water. Another good joke! _Dec. 30th._ Quiet day. A few shells on the right; but we were left alone. At 5 p.m. I went out with a party of seventy, carrying all kinds of things to the front line. Out till 8 p.m. Quiet night. _Dec. 31st._ A wet day. The road behind was shelled heavily all day, but fortunately it was quiet while we were being relieved after dusk. Had the real Bank Holiday feeling on getting to reserve line billets two miles away, and enjoyed a splendid night in my valise. Had one drop of whisky at 9.30 p.m. to drink the health of the New Year; but sleep was by far the most important thing, so to bed at 10 p.m., to dream of home and the dear old past. Woke during the night to hear the guns in the back garden booming in the New Year, and shaking and rattling walls and windows. Dreams shattered! _Jan. 1st, 1916._ What luck for the New Year? How fervent is the hope for a glimpse of the _end_ before many of the new months have gone.