letters from father christmas by jrr tolkien

Polar Bear offers his own commentary with his distinctive angular script in the letter margins, with occasional contradictions of some of Father Christmas’s accounts of how the accidents happened. These accidents sometimes account for deficiencies in the gifts Father Christmas has brought the Tolkien children, and in other cases are meant solely for comedic and dramatic purposes. These include causing the North Pole to break and fall on Father Christmas’s home, falling down a staircase with a pile of gifts, letting the bath water overflow, and setting off two years’ worth of northern lights all at once. Some of the most memorable letters include stories of how Polar Bear’s foibles and curiosity often, while trying to be helpful, lead to accidents and disasters.

One character who maintains a consistent presence in the letters is Father Christmas’s assistant, the North Polar Bear. Characters mentioned include Snow-elves, Snow-men, Red Gnomes, Cave-bears, Goblins, and Father Christmas’s personal secretary, an Elf named Ilbereth. The content of the letters varied over the years as Father Christmas moved house, had several adventures, and gained more members of his household and the North Pole community. When the elder children stopped writing to Father Christmas, all family members encouraged the younger ones to keep up the correspondence, maintaining the delight of the holiday ritual. The children’s own letters to Father Christmas would likewise disappear from the fireplace and make their way magically to the North Pole with their own news and Christmas present requests.

Sometimes the letter would appear in the home dusted with snow or with snowy footprints across the floor other times it would be delivered by the postman, making the arrival seem very official. Each letter was carefully written in the shaky handwriting of Father Christmas (for he was over 1900 years old after all), and bore an “authentic” North Pole stamp. In this post we will explore some of the historical context for the letters and provide a brief overview of the book.Įach year in the Tolkien household from 1920 until 1943, Tolkien’s four children John, Michael, Christopher, and Priscilla could expect a letter delivered to them from Father Christmas (the name for Santa Claus in England), complete with news about the happenings at the North Pole over the past year and accompanying illustrations. With Tolkien’s skillful storytelling abilities and charming illustrations, the book can quickly become a holiday favorite. Tolkien (alternate title: Letters from Father Christmas) is a delightful volume for personal or family reading during the Christmas season.

Letters from father christmas by jrr tolkien