Letters From Father Christmas
by J. R. R. Tolkien
On This Page
Description
A collection of illustrated letters from Father Christmas recapping the activities of the preceding year at the North Pole. The letters were written by the author to his children.Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
Wow! I was in the mood for something old-fashioned and was expecting some mild entertainment, here. Didn't know just how delightful a time I was in for!
What an imaginative, clever, super-cute, and funny collection of letters and drawings. Father Nicholas Christmas, North Polar Bear, and Ilbereth the secretary elf are something else especially when they tag-team the letter-writing. (Well, not that it's always "teaming." Sometimes, Polar Bear's just interrupting.)
I laughed the hardest—so hard I had to pause and set the book aside several times—while reading Father Christmas's delivery of rhymes/poetry where Polar Bear keeps cutting in with criticism. Hilarious!
Even with the harrowing North Pole adventures, the comedy, and the precious show more sentiments to it all, the collection also has bittersweet aspects. To think of a father making creative explanations through the letters at times when providing his children with Christmas gifts would have been difficult, particularly during the years of a certain war (World War II) that Father Christmas talks about. To watch as the names of the letters' young addressees change over the years: the addressees increasing as the family grows, then decreasing as the children gradually grow out of childhood. Until the letter-writing tradition is down to only the youngest child.
The last letter, which Father Christmas apparently knows will be the last, is especially poignant. Made me smile while it tugged on my entire heart.
Nonetheless, the even greater joy of this family's holiday tradition is that the last letter wasn't the end of it after all. Countless people of different generations all over the world, myself included, are yet getting the chance to enjoy these wonderful messages and pictures from the North Pole. How marvelous is that?
Merry Christmas to all! show less
What an imaginative, clever, super-cute, and funny collection of letters and drawings. Father Nicholas Christmas, North Polar Bear, and Ilbereth the secretary elf are something else especially when they tag-team the letter-writing. (Well, not that it's always "teaming." Sometimes, Polar Bear's just interrupting.)
I laughed the hardest—so hard I had to pause and set the book aside several times—while reading Father Christmas's delivery of rhymes/poetry where Polar Bear keeps cutting in with criticism. Hilarious!
Even with the harrowing North Pole adventures, the comedy, and the precious show more sentiments to it all, the collection also has bittersweet aspects. To think of a father making creative explanations through the letters at times when providing his children with Christmas gifts would have been difficult, particularly during the years of a certain war (World War II) that Father Christmas talks about. To watch as the names of the letters' young addressees change over the years: the addressees increasing as the family grows, then decreasing as the children gradually grow out of childhood. Until the letter-writing tradition is down to only the youngest child.
The last letter, which Father Christmas apparently knows will be the last, is especially poignant. Made me smile while it tugged on my entire heart.
Nonetheless, the even greater joy of this family's holiday tradition is that the last letter wasn't the end of it after all. Countless people of different generations all over the world, myself included, are yet getting the chance to enjoy these wonderful messages and pictures from the North Pole. How marvelous is that?
Merry Christmas to all! show less
So technically I started and finished this book before December 1, but I’m counting it as my December 2024 Tolkien because the vibes were just right and I didn’t think that I would finish reading it in a day! Taking a step about as far away from Middle Earth as possible, this charming little book is filled with Tolkien’s letters masquerading as Father Christmas for an annual moment of mirth with his children. Most people pretend for years in the myth of Santa Claus and his magical delivery of presents from the North Pole, but the creative mind that is JRR wasn’t satisfied with this simple ruse, so he spent years writing letters chalk full of charming illustrations, false scripts, and hilarious highjinx to entertain his children. show more These stories are whimsical with just a dash of dark realism, mirroring Tolkien’s style of writing for younger readers (his children were generally his first audience, after all), and I’m sure I’m not the only reader who wishes that he had chosen to collect these tales - and expand upon them - for a fully realized narrative volume! But we must be satisfied with the small glimpse into the every day lives of the Tolkien family that this book provides, and relive the moments of amusement that his children must have felt upon finding these special letters addressed solely to them every year! What sparkling moments in time these are. show less
First sentence: Dear John, I heard you ask daddy what I was like and where I lived. I have drawn me and my house for you. Take care of the picture. I am just off now for Oxford with my bundle of toys--some for you. Hope I shall arrive in time: the snow is very thick at the North Pole tonight. Your loving Father Christmas.
ETA: I listened to this on audio read by Derek Jacobi! It was AWESOME. Cannot overstate it. Absolutely recommend this audio. There are other voice actors for the polar bear and I believe another recurring character.
Premise/plot: The earliest letter from 'Father Christmas' to the Tolkien children is 1920. The latest letter is dated 1943 to his daughter, Priscilla. The letters speak of Father Christmas' affairs--his show more adventures and misadventures. Little details about the Tolkiens slip through, of course. He refers to their letters in which they mention pets and toys, etc. He speaks of Polar Bear, his greatest assistant. He speaks of red elves--some. But Father Christmas has a war to fight of his own--against the goblins! (Christmas is almost sabotaged several times!)
My thoughts: How quickly time flies! These letters capture moments. I suppose that's as good a way as any to describe this one. We don't get to see the children's letters to Father Christmas through the years, but, we do get to see Father Christmas's letters to the Tolkien children... But children don't write letters to Father Christmas forever, one by one they grow up and grow out of belief. Still these are moments where we catch glimpses of Tolkien as both loving parent and creative artist.
Near the North Pole
Christmas 1925
My dear boys,
I am dreadfully busy this year—it makes my hand more shaky than ever when I think of it—and not very rich; in fact awful things have been happening, and some of the presents have got spoilt, and I haven’t got the North Polar bear to help me, and I have had to move house just before Christmas, so you can imagine what a state everything is in, and you will see why I have a new address, and why I can only write one letter between you both.
It all happened like this: one very windy day last November my hood blew off and went and stuck on the top of the North Pole. I told him not to, but the North Polar Bear climbed up to the thin top to get it down—and he did. The pole broke in the middle and fell on the roof of my house, and the North Polar Bear fell through the hole it made into the dining room with my hood over his nose, and all the snow fell off the roof into the house and melted and put out all the fires and ran down into the cellars, where I was collecting this year’s presents, and the North Polar Bear’s leg got broken.
He is well again now, but I was so cross with him that he says he won’t try to help me again—I expect his temper is hurt, and will be mended by next Christmas. I send you a picture of the accident and of my new house on the cliffs above the North Pole (with beautiful cellars in the cliffs). If John can’t read my old shaky writing (one thousand nine hundred and twenty-five years old) he must get his father to. When is Michael going to learn to read, and write his own letters to me? Lots of love to you both and Christopher, whose name is rather like mine.
That’s all: Good Bye
Father Christmas
Cliff House
October 31st 1931
Dear Children,
Already I have got some letters from you! You are getting busy early. I have not begun to think about Christmas yet. It has been very warm in the North this year, and there has been very little snow so far. We are just getting in our Christmas firewood.
This is just to say my messengers will be coming round regularly now Winter has begun—we shall be having a bonfire tomorrow—and I shall like to hear from you: Sunday and Wednesday evenings are the best times to post to me.
The Polar Bear is quite well and fairly good—(though you never know what he will do when the Christmas rush begins.) Send my love to John.
Your loving
Father Nicholas Christmas
Glad Father Christmas has wakt up. He slept nearly all this hot summer. I wish we kood have snow. My coat is quite yellow.
Love Polar Bear
Cliff House,
near North Pole
Christmas Eve 1940
My Dearest Priscilla
Just a short letter to wish you a very happy Christmas. Please give my love to Christopher. We are having rather a difficult time this year. This horrible war is reducing all our stocks, and in so many countries children are living far from their homes. Polar Bear has had a very busy time trying to get our address-lists corrected. I am glad you are still at home!
I wonder what you will think of my picture. “Penguins don’t live at the North Pole,” you will say. I know they don’t, but we have got some all the same. What you would call “evacuees”, I believe (not a very nice word); except that they did not come here to escape the war, but to find it! They had heard such stories of the happenings up in the North (including a quite untrue story that Polar Bear and all the Polar Cubs had been blown up, and that I had been captured by Goblins) that they swam all the way here to see if they could help me. Nearly 50 arrived.
The picture is of Polar Bear dancing with their chiefs. They amuse us enormously: they don’t really help much, but are always playing funny dancing games, and trying to imitate the walk of Polar Bear and the Cubs.
Very much love from your old friend,
Father Christmas show less
ETA: I listened to this on audio read by Derek Jacobi! It was AWESOME. Cannot overstate it. Absolutely recommend this audio. There are other voice actors for the polar bear and I believe another recurring character.
Premise/plot: The earliest letter from 'Father Christmas' to the Tolkien children is 1920. The latest letter is dated 1943 to his daughter, Priscilla. The letters speak of Father Christmas' affairs--his show more adventures and misadventures. Little details about the Tolkiens slip through, of course. He refers to their letters in which they mention pets and toys, etc. He speaks of Polar Bear, his greatest assistant. He speaks of red elves--some. But Father Christmas has a war to fight of his own--against the goblins! (Christmas is almost sabotaged several times!)
My thoughts: How quickly time flies! These letters capture moments. I suppose that's as good a way as any to describe this one. We don't get to see the children's letters to Father Christmas through the years, but, we do get to see Father Christmas's letters to the Tolkien children... But children don't write letters to Father Christmas forever, one by one they grow up and grow out of belief. Still these are moments where we catch glimpses of Tolkien as both loving parent and creative artist.
Near the North Pole
Christmas 1925
My dear boys,
I am dreadfully busy this year—it makes my hand more shaky than ever when I think of it—and not very rich; in fact awful things have been happening, and some of the presents have got spoilt, and I haven’t got the North Polar bear to help me, and I have had to move house just before Christmas, so you can imagine what a state everything is in, and you will see why I have a new address, and why I can only write one letter between you both.
It all happened like this: one very windy day last November my hood blew off and went and stuck on the top of the North Pole. I told him not to, but the North Polar Bear climbed up to the thin top to get it down—and he did. The pole broke in the middle and fell on the roof of my house, and the North Polar Bear fell through the hole it made into the dining room with my hood over his nose, and all the snow fell off the roof into the house and melted and put out all the fires and ran down into the cellars, where I was collecting this year’s presents, and the North Polar Bear’s leg got broken.
He is well again now, but I was so cross with him that he says he won’t try to help me again—I expect his temper is hurt, and will be mended by next Christmas. I send you a picture of the accident and of my new house on the cliffs above the North Pole (with beautiful cellars in the cliffs). If John can’t read my old shaky writing (one thousand nine hundred and twenty-five years old) he must get his father to. When is Michael going to learn to read, and write his own letters to me? Lots of love to you both and Christopher, whose name is rather like mine.
That’s all: Good Bye
Father Christmas
Cliff House
October 31st 1931
Dear Children,
Already I have got some letters from you! You are getting busy early. I have not begun to think about Christmas yet. It has been very warm in the North this year, and there has been very little snow so far. We are just getting in our Christmas firewood.
This is just to say my messengers will be coming round regularly now Winter has begun—we shall be having a bonfire tomorrow—and I shall like to hear from you: Sunday and Wednesday evenings are the best times to post to me.
The Polar Bear is quite well and fairly good—(though you never know what he will do when the Christmas rush begins.) Send my love to John.
Your loving
Father Nicholas Christmas
Glad Father Christmas has wakt up. He slept nearly all this hot summer. I wish we kood have snow. My coat is quite yellow.
Love Polar Bear
Cliff House,
near North Pole
Christmas Eve 1940
My Dearest Priscilla
Just a short letter to wish you a very happy Christmas. Please give my love to Christopher. We are having rather a difficult time this year. This horrible war is reducing all our stocks, and in so many countries children are living far from their homes. Polar Bear has had a very busy time trying to get our address-lists corrected. I am glad you are still at home!
I wonder what you will think of my picture. “Penguins don’t live at the North Pole,” you will say. I know they don’t, but we have got some all the same. What you would call “evacuees”, I believe (not a very nice word); except that they did not come here to escape the war, but to find it! They had heard such stories of the happenings up in the North (including a quite untrue story that Polar Bear and all the Polar Cubs had been blown up, and that I had been captured by Goblins) that they swam all the way here to see if they could help me. Nearly 50 arrived.
The picture is of Polar Bear dancing with their chiefs. They amuse us enormously: they don’t really help much, but are always playing funny dancing games, and trying to imitate the walk of Polar Bear and the Cubs.
Very much love from your old friend,
Father Christmas show less
J.R.R. Tolkien is most well known as the author behind the famed series The Lord of the Rings. He was also an Oxford don (in the field of Anglo-Saxon literature) and a family man who was widely adored for his overactive imagination. He wrote little publicized letters to his children every year at Christmastime by posing as Father Christmas (the equivalent of Santa Claus), replete with this trademark imagination and with drawings and paintings. His daughter-in-law Baillie posthumously collected these writings into this compilation.
I am most impressed with how much obvious joy Tolkien takes in the art of parenting. As a professor, he was a busy man, but took the time to convey fun annually to his children as they aged. These letters begin show more in 1920 and continue uninterrupted until 1943, at which time his oldest child left home. Some parents find it hard to share passions with their children; not J.R.R. Tolkien.
The letters display a consistent yet imaginative storyline. From the North Pole, Father Christmas writes to the children in response to their letters. He warns of gift shortages due to the Great Depression. He speaks honestly about the troubles of the Second World War. He shares stories of his compatriot Polar Bear. To provide drama, goblins sometimes attack the North Pole and must be warded off. Polar Bear even makes an appearance as an author! These letters are not philosophically profound nor overtly religious; rather, they convey a sense of play that appeals to children – and, if we’re honest, adults, too.
Works like this can bring family togetherness around the Christmas season. When I spoke of the book over dinner, my daughter specifically asked that she be able to read these letters – a step she usually does not take for most of my books. Photographed copies of the letters and accompanying drawings are preserved in the book. This makes the purchase of a physical copy (as opposed to the eBook I read) worth its price. Tolkien’s brilliance left a legacy to English-speaking peoples. Kudos to daughter-in-law Baillie for collecting and sharing this brilliance to us around the theme of Christmas and family. show less
I am most impressed with how much obvious joy Tolkien takes in the art of parenting. As a professor, he was a busy man, but took the time to convey fun annually to his children as they aged. These letters begin show more in 1920 and continue uninterrupted until 1943, at which time his oldest child left home. Some parents find it hard to share passions with their children; not J.R.R. Tolkien.
The letters display a consistent yet imaginative storyline. From the North Pole, Father Christmas writes to the children in response to their letters. He warns of gift shortages due to the Great Depression. He speaks honestly about the troubles of the Second World War. He shares stories of his compatriot Polar Bear. To provide drama, goblins sometimes attack the North Pole and must be warded off. Polar Bear even makes an appearance as an author! These letters are not philosophically profound nor overtly religious; rather, they convey a sense of play that appeals to children – and, if we’re honest, adults, too.
Works like this can bring family togetherness around the Christmas season. When I spoke of the book over dinner, my daughter specifically asked that she be able to read these letters – a step she usually does not take for most of my books. Photographed copies of the letters and accompanying drawings are preserved in the book. This makes the purchase of a physical copy (as opposed to the eBook I read) worth its price. Tolkien’s brilliance left a legacy to English-speaking peoples. Kudos to daughter-in-law Baillie for collecting and sharing this brilliance to us around the theme of Christmas and family. show less
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS ABOUT?
From 1920-1943 JRR Tolkien wrote letters to his children from Father Christmas—generally multiple letters per year. These were (generally) not quick little notes, but were letters that could take multiple pages. Tolkien wrote these in an ornate penmanship where Father Christmas talks about their letters to him, and tells stories about life at the North Pole. Part of his stories—and a frequent contributor to these letters was Polar Bear (with his own penmanship, and idiosyncratic spelling), and Ilbereth the Elf joins later and his handwriting might as well be one of those fancy typefaces people use for overpriced wedding invitations.
In show more addition to well-wishes, responses to the letters received from the children, and assurances of gifts coming the letters contain updates on life at the North Pole. Sometimes these updates are comical (usually involving the accident-prone PB), sometimes they talk about battles with goblins, or troubles with shipping and tracking addresses. Invariably, there will also be some sort of illustration to accompany the story.
This edition contains full-color reproductions of the letters and drawings in addition to typed versions (in varying typefaces so you can identify who is writing the letter).
THE ART
I'm so glad this edition has full-color reproductions of the illustrations—the letters, too, which almost count as art. On the whole, it's very similar to Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien stylistically, which is is be expected. I bet his kids were thrilled to get this kind of thing from Father Christmas every year.
The Tolkien Estate's website has several samples from this book to take a gander at. My favorites aren't here, so, you're going to have to track down copy yourself to see the best. But the samples are representative.
A PERSONAL OBSERVATION
I was—and am—such a lazy and unimaginative father. Seriously—multiple letters, ornately illustrated, written in 1-3 distinctive handwriting, every year? I never came near that—not a bit. Never mind the content, full of imagination and whimsy—just the dedicated work that went into these letters.
Tolkien was something else...
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS?
I loved this depiction of Santa—he's more in the mold of the Kurt Russel/Dresden Files/Viking-ish Santa than the Clement Moore, Miracle on 34th Street, Rankin-Bass mold. Which fits with Tolkien's interests, as I understand them. But in addition to being a Warrior Santa, he's focused on his mission of spreading joy and presents—and is always expressing his affection for the children he's writing to.
I enjoyed his stories about the battles and troubles he'd had that year. I wasn't always into the Polar Bear mishaps, it seemed like picking on him to me. But I can see where kids would have fun with it.
One of the best parts for me was the way that Father Christmas talked to Priscilla about the difficulties in England in the 1940s—honestly (and age-appropriate) but filled with hope.
I can easily see this becoming a tradition to read with the Grandcritter and any siblings/cousins that might pop up. I also would enjoy revisiting this collection myself, I should add. I can also see better parents than me using this as inspiration for their own traditions.
If you haven't tried this yet, I recommend it—for Tolkien fans or Santa/Father Christmas alike. show less
---
WHAT'S LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS ABOUT?
From 1920-1943 JRR Tolkien wrote letters to his children from Father Christmas—generally multiple letters per year. These were (generally) not quick little notes, but were letters that could take multiple pages. Tolkien wrote these in an ornate penmanship where Father Christmas talks about their letters to him, and tells stories about life at the North Pole. Part of his stories—and a frequent contributor to these letters was Polar Bear (with his own penmanship, and idiosyncratic spelling), and Ilbereth the Elf joins later and his handwriting might as well be one of those fancy typefaces people use for overpriced wedding invitations.
In show more addition to well-wishes, responses to the letters received from the children, and assurances of gifts coming the letters contain updates on life at the North Pole. Sometimes these updates are comical (usually involving the accident-prone PB), sometimes they talk about battles with goblins, or troubles with shipping and tracking addresses. Invariably, there will also be some sort of illustration to accompany the story.
This edition contains full-color reproductions of the letters and drawings in addition to typed versions (in varying typefaces so you can identify who is writing the letter).
THE ART
I'm so glad this edition has full-color reproductions of the illustrations—the letters, too, which almost count as art. On the whole, it's very similar to Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien stylistically, which is is be expected. I bet his kids were thrilled to get this kind of thing from Father Christmas every year.
The Tolkien Estate's website has several samples from this book to take a gander at. My favorites aren't here, so, you're going to have to track down copy yourself to see the best. But the samples are representative.
A PERSONAL OBSERVATION
I was—and am—such a lazy and unimaginative father. Seriously—multiple letters, ornately illustrated, written in 1-3 distinctive handwriting, every year? I never came near that—not a bit. Never mind the content, full of imagination and whimsy—just the dedicated work that went into these letters.
Tolkien was something else...
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS?
I loved this depiction of Santa—he's more in the mold of the Kurt Russel/Dresden Files/Viking-ish Santa than the Clement Moore, Miracle on 34th Street, Rankin-Bass mold. Which fits with Tolkien's interests, as I understand them. But in addition to being a Warrior Santa, he's focused on his mission of spreading joy and presents—and is always expressing his affection for the children he's writing to.
I enjoyed his stories about the battles and troubles he'd had that year. I wasn't always into the Polar Bear mishaps, it seemed like picking on him to me. But I can see where kids would have fun with it.
One of the best parts for me was the way that Father Christmas talked to Priscilla about the difficulties in England in the 1940s—honestly (and age-appropriate) but filled with hope.
I can easily see this becoming a tradition to read with the Grandcritter and any siblings/cousins that might pop up. I also would enjoy revisiting this collection myself, I should add. I can also see better parents than me using this as inspiration for their own traditions.
If you haven't tried this yet, I recommend it—for Tolkien fans or Santa/Father Christmas alike. show less
Beginning in 1920, when his oldest son, John, was three years old, and continuing through 1942, by which time Michael, Christopher and Priscilla had joined the Tolkien family, J.R.R. Tolkien - author of such fantasy classics as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings - wrote and illustrated a yearly missive from Father Christmas, mailed to his children through the post, or magically smuggled into their house, sometime Christmas Eve night. Beginning with the 1925 letter, this collection - edited by Tolkien's daughter-in-law Baillie - reproduces the text of those letters, and the artwork that accompanied them. There is also a selection, notably including the first letter, from 1920, of facsimile reproductions of "Father Christmas's" own show more hand-written sheets.
What lucky children those Tolkiens were! Imagine receiving such entertaining little stories every year, complete with darling illustrations, and creative little details, like the hand-crafted "arctic" stamps and postage marks. What great care Tolkien obviously took with these letters, and what a delightful result! From the well-meaning but bumbling North Polar Bear, whose accidents were always endangering Father Christmas' scheduled gift delivery, to the long-suffering Father Christmas himself, patient and amused (mostly) at the foibles of his companion and assistant, everything about these stories appealed to me. Like so many other readers, I was struck by themes here - particularly as it relates to the ever-present threat of Goblins - that reminded me of Tolkien's greater works of epic fantasy. Definitely one that children with a fondness for Santa tales will want to read (I think I may dig out my copy of L. Frank Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, and contrast and compare), as will Tolkien fans interested in the evolution of his storytelling. show less
What lucky children those Tolkiens were! Imagine receiving such entertaining little stories every year, complete with darling illustrations, and creative little details, like the hand-crafted "arctic" stamps and postage marks. What great care Tolkien obviously took with these letters, and what a delightful result! From the well-meaning but bumbling North Polar Bear, whose accidents were always endangering Father Christmas' scheduled gift delivery, to the long-suffering Father Christmas himself, patient and amused (mostly) at the foibles of his companion and assistant, everything about these stories appealed to me. Like so many other readers, I was struck by themes here - particularly as it relates to the ever-present threat of Goblins - that reminded me of Tolkien's greater works of epic fantasy. Definitely one that children with a fondness for Santa tales will want to read (I think I may dig out my copy of L. Frank Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, and contrast and compare), as will Tolkien fans interested in the evolution of his storytelling. show less
Reading this as an adult, what comes across most strongly is Tolkien's love and affection for his children (which is, of course, what one would expect of all parents for their children, but which sadly is not always so) and his delight in writing and drawing these little Christmas stories each year.
Due to the very young age of his eldest son when the first letter was written in 1920, these early missives are very short, but in 1925 we get a longer message which introduces us to the North Polar Bear, who will feature every year thereafter, and a beautiful little painting of the NPB wrecking the North Pole itself, smashing Father Christmas's house, and a picture of the new house that he builds to replace it.
The Letters were never intended show more for publication and it's a testament to Tolkien's remarkable skill at storytelling that simply collecting them together makes such a delightful book. The Letters do continue themes from one year to the next and the characters are likeable, funny and have their own personalities.
The last couple of letters, addressed just to his youngest child, Priscilla, by this time, are quite poignant. It seems that she has been too busy to write to Father Christmas, but he has a good idea, anyway, of what she would like in her stocking (books, of course). In 1943, Father Christmas supposes that Priscilla will be hanging up her stocking just once more, and there was to me a feeling that, perhaps, she would not have missed Father Christmas's letters had they stopped a little earlier. Sometimes it's hard for parents to accept that their children have grown up. Nevertheless, Father Christmas assures Priscilla that he will never forget her, nor her brothers, and that when they have children of their own he may write again.
A magical story to read with younger children, although I suspect that they might be wanting some letter from Father Christmas themselves afterwards, so be warned! show less
Due to the very young age of his eldest son when the first letter was written in 1920, these early missives are very short, but in 1925 we get a longer message which introduces us to the North Polar Bear, who will feature every year thereafter, and a beautiful little painting of the NPB wrecking the North Pole itself, smashing Father Christmas's house, and a picture of the new house that he builds to replace it.
The Letters were never intended show more for publication and it's a testament to Tolkien's remarkable skill at storytelling that simply collecting them together makes such a delightful book. The Letters do continue themes from one year to the next and the characters are likeable, funny and have their own personalities.
The last couple of letters, addressed just to his youngest child, Priscilla, by this time, are quite poignant. It seems that she has been too busy to write to Father Christmas, but he has a good idea, anyway, of what she would like in her stocking (books, of course). In 1943, Father Christmas supposes that Priscilla will be hanging up her stocking just once more, and there was to me a feeling that, perhaps, she would not have missed Father Christmas's letters had they stopped a little earlier. Sometimes it's hard for parents to accept that their children have grown up. Nevertheless, Father Christmas assures Priscilla that he will never forget her, nor her brothers, and that when they have children of their own he may write again.
A magical story to read with younger children, although I suspect that they might be wanting some letter from Father Christmas themselves afterwards, so be warned! show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Christmas Books
370 works; 40 members
Books Read in 2023
5,547 works; 145 members
Top Five Books of 2014
1,064 works; 398 members
Christmas Reading
142 works; 5 members
Epistolary Books
105 works; 27 members
Favorite Epistolary Fiction
143 works; 144 members
Books Read in 2024
4,623 works; 126 members
Author Information
597+ Works 516,020 Members
A writer of fantasies, Tolkien, a professor of language and literature at Oxford University, was always intrigued by early English and the imaginative use of language. In his greatest story, the trilogy The Lord of the Rings (1954--56), Tolkien invented a language with vocabulary, grammar, syntax, even poetry of its own. Though readers have show more created various possible allegorical interpretations, Tolkien has said: "It is not about anything but itself. (Certainly it has no allegorical intentions, general, particular or topical, moral, religious or political.)" In The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1962), Tolkien tells the story of the "master of wood, water, and hill," a jolly teller of tales and singer of songs, one of the multitude of characters in his romance, saga, epic, or fairy tales about his country of the Hobbits. Tolkien was also a formidable medieval scholar, as evidenced by his work, Beowulf: The Monster and the Critics (1936) and his edition of Anciene Wisse: English Text of the Anciene Riwle. Among his works published posthumously, are The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún and The Fall of Arthur, which was edited by his son, Christopher. In 2013, his title, TheHobbit (Movie Tie-In) made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
All Editions
Some Editions
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Letters From Father Christmas
- Original title
- Letters From Father Christmas
- Alternate titles
- The Father Christmas Letters
- Original publication date
- 1976
- People/Characters
- Father Christmas; North Polar Bear; Santa Claus; Ilbereth the elf
- Important places
- North Pole
- Important events
- Christmas
- First words
- Can you imagine writing to Father Christmas and actually getting a reply?
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)We always keep the names of our friends, and their letters; and later on we hope to come back when they are grown up and have houses of their own, and children ... Your loving Father Christmas ... A Merry Christmas.
- Original language*
- Inglese
- Disambiguation notice
- Various editions of this book, some titled "Letters from Father Christmas" and some "The Father Christmas Letters",
offer significantly different selections from the letters and from Tolkien's illustrations. Most of these ... (show all)differences are explained here: https://wayneandchristina.wordpress.co...
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fantasy, Fiction and Literature, Children's Books
- DDC/MDS
- 823.912 — Literature & rhetoric English & Old English literatures English fiction 1900- 1901-1999 1901-1945
- LCC
- PZ7 .T5744 .F — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 3,754
- Popularity
- 4,237
- Reviews
- 74
- Rating
- (4.21)
- Languages
- 18 — Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 97
- UPCs
- 6
- ASINs
- 27