PUBLIC FORUM : HOLIDAY SEASON OPENS FLOODGATES OF REMEMBRANCE.

It was about 10 p.m., Dec. 24, 1945 when our troop train chugged into Fort Evens, Mass. We were all veterans of the war in the Pacific and had dreamed of this day, home for Christmas. In five days, I would have been in the Army for three years, most of which was in the South Pacific.

Fort Evens personnel started processing us immediately for furloughs. We were issued clean clothes, our back pay and at about noon I received a 14-day furlough. I don't recall how I made my way to the North Station in Boston only to find I had just missed the 2 p.m. train to Bangor, Maine. The next train would be at 4 p.m. and arrive in Bangor at 11:40 p.m. Just 20 minutes left but it would still be Christmas.

The train arrived in Bangor 35 minutes late, at 12:15 a.m., Dec. 26. Waiting on the platform was my mother and my wife. The bobbie-soxer I married 12 hours before I went into the Army was now a beautiful woman and still is.

That Christmas was very long, hectic and somewhat disappointing, but it will never be forgotten.

Robert Armacher

Santa Clarita 

When my children were young, they used to inspect packages under the Christmas tree; sniff them, shake them, turn them over in their hands trying to guess what the gifts inside were. Not me. Never. ``Aren't you curious at all, Mom? Little did they know.

The year I was 14 I was overcome with curiosity and excitement asChristmas approached. I just couldn't wait to find out if I was receiving the things on my Christmas list, so I took every opportunity to do some sleuthing and detective work until I found every single hidden gift in the house. I found the last beautiful doll of my childhood and some art supplies I had wanted.

My mother thought she had outsmarted me because she'd ordered many things from Sears and was storing them at a neighbor's house. But Mom had forgotten one thing: the shipping invoice which I found on her desk with some bills.

By now fully obsessed, I looked up each item number in the Wish Book. I was getting pajamas and slippers and a warm, fuzzy yellow blanket.

And then, Christmas morning, the full impact of my actions hit me: Notone thing under that tree was a surprise. I couldn't disguise my reactions, so Mom knew. I just remember an awful realization of what I had done, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. But I had learned a valuable lesson that year. And no, I don't want to shake my presents or guess what they are. Surprise me, please

Judith L Pittman

Santa Clarita

Our annual tree-trimming party was initiated by the stars of the Van Nuys High School football team during the 1960s. Several of the team members offered to help my husband trim the tree, then called buddies and girlfriends to join in the fun.

Our strict rules, no booze, no pot, no hanky-panky (within reason), didn't seem to deter them; they considered the rules a trust, apparently.

The next Christmas they asked to help again, thus establishing a Christmas tradition that lasted through graduations, college, engagements, marriages, and even toddlers, and grew into more adult parties that included parents, friends, and neighbors. Those wonderful high school kids gave us one of the greatest gifts of all, the gift of trust in our young people, and hope for future generations.

To all of you who shared in our annual tree-trimming parties, Merry Christmas from the Wagners Bill and Vicki, Bobbie and Chris.

Vicki Wagner

Sherman Oaks

I'm 85 years old and have lived in the Los Angeles area over 50 years. I grew up in a small town in Ohio. I'm Jewish and in our town there weren't very many Jewish families. We celebrated all the Jewish holidays.

But on Christmas Day, my mother always had a lovely dinner so that when we kids (there were four of us) went back to school after the holiday vacation, we could share with the rest of the kids what we had for Christmas dinner so we wouldn't feel left out.

Sally Kuhn

Valley Village

Throughout my entire life, the sweetest and most enduring holiday memories I have involve selecting, decorating and admiring the beauty of our Christmas tree.

As an adult, I have accumulated hundreds of dollars in crystal, porcelain and hand-blown glass ornaments. Yet the one I treasure the most and take the greatest care with is the play dough ornament my son made at his child-care center when he was 3. Each year my eyes fill with tears when I reach up to place it on the tree, as I am reminded of what truly matters during the holiday season as well as in life.

Time passes so very quickly, we must never forget to savor the precious moments of the past and present and look forward to those still to come.

Marilyn Llanos 

Van Nuys

Our favorite holiday tradition began years ago when with young children we held our first cookie and ornament exchange. Over the years our evening has evolved into an ornament exchange with an hors d`oeuvres buffet. It's how the ornaments are exchanged that's unique. Everyone holds their unwrapped ornament as I read a version of ``The Night Before Christmas. There are quite a few ``ands

My collection of stories has grown over the years and it's become a challenge to keep finding new ones ``The Night Before Christmas in California, 14 issue of Public Forum, Tom Sawyer wrote that he vowed years ago to eschew all entities that advertise anything using ``Xmas.'' He said that it made him cringe.

Perhaps he will stop cringing and join the happy holiday crowds, which after all, are what make the season jolly. It is not all humbug.

The ``X'' as an abbreviation stands for the words Christmas and Christian (from the Greek name chi, the first letter in the name Christos, or Christ).

A.E. Hagerty

West Hills

Whenever I write a quick note to my daughter, Christiane, I write her name as XP for short. Those are the Greek letters chi and rho, which are the two letters at the beginning of her name. Likewise, the ``X'' in Xmas is the Greek letter chi and short for Christ.

When I visited the catacombs in Rome about 40 years ago, I was told by a monk guide that the Xs scratched onto the walls meant Christ. The ``mas'' at the end of Christmas means ``mass.'' Therefore, Christmas means Christ's Mass.

Pat Ramirez

Sherman Oaks

This letter is to address complainer Tom Sawyer's (from Lancaster) letter titled ``Cringes at X-mas,'' Dec. 14.

He argued that commercialism has taken the Christianity out of Christmas to the point that the ``X'' in ``X-mas'' is used to take the Christ out of Christmas. Although I would have to agree that commercialism has put a dent in the spirit that Christmas was originally intended for, I'm afraid the author of this letter was mistaken in assuming that the term ``X-mas'' was instituted to make Christmas a generic holiday just to appeal to a wide range of customers.

``X-mas'' is really used because in Greek, the letter X is the first letter in our word for Christ (Xristos) and since ``Christ's mass'' was commonly used by Europeans when referring to Christmas in the 1500s, it was shortened to ``X-mas.'' So when I see the sign on our family's ``X-mas'' tree lot the only people I cringe at are those who feel a need to lash out at us who still honor our Greek traditions.

Clark Carpenter

Calabasas

What a lot of hullabaloo over a date that everyone admits is not what it purports to be anyhow.

Even Christian leaders admit that Christ was, in fact, born years beforeA.D. 1. But if you must argue, here's my contribution: For historical and archeological purposes the year 1 B.C. immediately precedes A.D. 1 (or B.C.E. and A.C.E., if you prefer). There is no year ``0 Thus, even as we count from 1 to 10, the zero must go at the end. That's just logical. But, really folks, who gives a rat's patootie? Happy New Year!

Diane Silver

Arleta

Toys for Tots 

It's understandable how one's initial reaction to a request for new toys valued at at least $10 could sound crass (re ''Bah! Humbug!

Terri Andrews

Castaic

Some answers

To Public Forum letter writers Doris Goodwin and Michael Grogan (Dec. 20) I offer these answer to their questions: Goodwin, if achild is born Jan. 1, 1900 he/she will be 100 years old on Jan. 1, 2000. Grogan, the answer to your question is yes, the period from Jan. 1, 1000 to Jan. 1, 2000 is 1,000 years, and yes 1,000 years is a millennium.

However, you cannot conclude from either of these calculations that thenew millennium begins on Jan. 1, 2000. You must start from the beginning of our known calendar which was Jan. 1, 1 (year one). It is importantto acknowledge that there was no year zero, as this is where all the confusion lies. Since the first year of our calendar started with a 1, youmust add 1,000 years from then to arrive at the first year of the nextmillennium. When this calculation is made we see that the beginning of the second millennium was Jan. 1, 1001 (year 1 plus 1,000 years equals year 1001). Therefore, it follows that the third millennium begins the first day of the year 2001, (year 1 plus 2,000 years equals year 2001). From these calculations we must conclude that the next millennium starts Jan. 1, 2001.

So let's have a 12-month celebration of the last year of this millennium. We can start Jan. 1, 2000.

Bill Hamburg

Woodland Hills