If you enjoyed my mother’s letter describing the events of December 7, 1941, in real time, here’s a sequel.

In December 1942, the late University of Hawaii Professor Carey D. Miller sent a Christmas letter to friends around the world in which she described in personal terms the impact of the war on life in Honolulu after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

During my mother’s years as a student at the University of Hawaii (1931-1935), Dr. Miller was her mentor, and the two became good friends. After graduating, my mother worked in Miller’s Home Economics Department for about 7 years, and the two became close friends. After Miller’s death, my mother served as the executor of her estate, and I found this and other holiday letters among my mom’s papers.

Miller’s letter is full of interesting observations.

For example, the war may have created the taste for guava juice and guava jelly.

Miller, a world famous nutritionist, recorded: September 1942: “No one knows if we shall continue to have orange juice, so we are urging everyone to utilize the guavas for juice and juicy pulp for drinks, and for jams, marmalades and jellies.”

And the university graduation ceremony was different in 1942.

June 1942: “Academic procession all in cap and gown carrying gas masks. I wonder how many times that will happen.”

In any case, it’s a fascinating glimpse into wartime life in Hawaii.

A Christmas letter written in December 1942 by University of Hawaii Professor Carey D. Miller by Ian Lind on Scribd