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Letters From Father Christmas

by J.R.R. Tolkien, Baillie Tolkien (Editor)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 2,384 ratings · 239 reviews

Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien's children. Inside would be a letter in strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful colour drawing. They were from Father Christmas, telling wonderful tales of life at the North Pole.

From the first note to Tolkien's eldest son in 1920 to the final poignant letter to his daughter...more

Paperback, 159 pages

Published October 1st 2009 by HarperCollins (first published 1976)

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Jan 09, 2013 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: epistolary, fantasy, children-s-books

This is a beautiful book which contains all the letters JRRRRRRRRR Tolkien wrote to his children in the guise of Father Christmas from the first to his eldest son in 1920 right through to the last one he wrote to his only daughter in 1943. Each letter purports to be an account of various scrapes and adventures that happen to the man in red and his various helpers and hinderers and the lovely thing is that so totally enamoured with this correspondence were his children during their younger years...more This is a beautiful book which contains all the letters JRRRRRRRRR Tolkien wrote to his children in the guise of Father Christmas from the first to his eldest son in 1920 right through to the last one he wrote to his only daughter in 1943. Each letter purports to be an account of various scrapes and adventures that happen to the man in red and his various helpers and hinderers and the lovely thing is that so totally enamoured with this correspondence were his children during their younger years that they clearly entered into it with a passion with regular missives from them to him not just in December but seemingly from the arrival of Autumn. This volume only contains his letters of course but you get a flavour of what the children must have asked or mentioned from his responses.

This book has each letter printed in normal type but also alongside there are facsimile of Tolkien's original letters. The shaky, ancient handwriting of Claus himself, the odd hieroglyphic like printing of his great help/hindrance the Polar Bear and the beautiful scribing of his elf secretary Elbereth. There are also lovely pictures and alphabets that Tolkein also included in these letters. Tolkien quite clearly did not restrict his creativity to Middle Earth but was quite able to populate the North pole as well.

As a boy my imgination used to drink in fairy story and fantasy and I found it quite easy to imagine how i would have felt opening and devouring these lovely pages at that time. My brothers, sister and I would always leave a glass of sherry for Fr Christmas and a carrot for the reindeer. My father, good methodist that he is, nobly quaffed it down no doubt and the carrot always had a couple of nibbles from it come Christmas Day. My parents always explained its not having been wholly eaten by the simple story that if the reindeer ate everything that was left out for them they would be too heavy to fly.

It is interesting that my parents kept the fantastic magic alive for me until i was nigh on ten years old simply by their entering into the fantasy on this simple level. Tolkien's was certainly far more detailed and far flung and these letters are lovely but I could not help but wonder, as I read them, whether the detailed descriptions of the North pole, the charming drawings and the painstakingly created alphabets of languages would, in the end, evaporate the magic rather than enhance it. My parents sooty fingerprint on the glass and half scoffed carrot left my imagination free to wander where it will and was not led down a particular path. It was a gradual dawning of the reality of the situation that did me no harm but just was a gradual pulling back of the curtain to show me that though he might not exist exactly how I imagined yet he personnified something which I have sought to live out ever after.(less)

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Nov 12, 2009 Keith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

J.R.R. Tolkien, better known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, used to write and illustrate letters to his children from "Father Christmas." This book contains a selection of those letters, each reproduced on a separate sheet of paper and enclosed in an envelope. The letters tell of various misadventures of Father Christmas and his assistant, North Polar Bear, problems with Goblins, etc.

I read the letters with my (then 10-year old) daughter. She enjoyed the novelty of the b...more

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Mar 25, 2008 Tonya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Tolkien fans, moms

Shelves: favorite

My all time favorite Christmas story. The behind the scenes,daily life of father christmas. Soooo much drama with the goblins and the clumsy polar bear...but he puts it all into perfect perspective in the letters to his nieces and nephews!

One downside for the newer version that I bought... The words of the actual letters are on different pages than the pictures, so when reading to my three year old, I have to skim the letter quickly as I turn the page to talk in length about the drawing.

First re...more

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Jan 17, 2013 shanties rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, england, europe, children, illustrated

TOLKIEN & SONS.
Il casus è noto: dal 1920, quando il primogenito John aveva tre anni, e fino al 1942, quando Priscilla, l’ultima dei suoi quattro figli, ne aveva tredici, Tolkien scrisse alle lettere natalizie dei figli delle vere e proprie risposte, a firma di Babbo Natale. Per oltre vent’anni, quindi, i piccoli di casa Tolkien ebbero il privilegio esclusivo di una corrispondenza ininterrotta e regolare con il Polo Nord.
Perseverare con tale costanza in una consuetudine familiare fino a far...more TOLKIEN & SONS.
Il casus è noto: dal 1920, quando il primogenito John aveva tre anni, e fino al 1942, quando Priscilla, l’ultima dei suoi quattro figli, ne aveva tredici, Tolkien scrisse alle lettere natalizie dei figli delle vere e proprie risposte, a firma di Babbo Natale. Per oltre vent’anni, quindi, i piccoli di casa Tolkien ebbero il privilegio esclusivo di una corrispondenza ininterrotta e regolare con il Polo Nord.
Perseverare con tale costanza in una consuetudine familiare fino a farne una vera tradizione sarebbe già di per sé ammirevole; ma, trattandosi di Tolkien, le lettere in questione sono piccole meraviglie di calligrafia, stilate in vari inchiostri colorati (con una predilezione, com’è ovvio, per il verde e il rosso) e corredate sempre da bellissimi disegni a pastello o a inchiostro.
In questi divertissement domestici, Tolkien indulge nelle proprie passioni: come nel caso dei numerosi giochi di parole, che purtroppo in traduzione vanno spesso perduti, inevitabilmente; ad es. dato che “pole” in inglese significa tanto polo quanto palo (pertica, asta, albero di una nave…) nei disegni di Tolkien il North Pole è sempre rappresentato come uno spuntone roccioso—che ad un certo punto finirà perfino spezzato, e dovrà essere riparato. Questa semplice trovata mi fa sorridere ora che ho trent’anni; se ne avessi cinque o sei immagino che lo troverei molto divertente.
Non solo. Trattandosi di Tolkien, le lettere, inizialmente semplici biglietti, diventano più lunghe, si riempiono di comprimari (!) e di vicende sempre più articolate. Father Nicholas Christmas viene affiancato prima dal North Polar Bear, aiutante maldestro ma irresistibile, autentico co-protagonista; poi dai nipoti di quest’ultimo, Paksu e Valkotukka; quindi da altri polar cubs, dagli snowboys, da elfi rossi ed elfi verdi… fino alla missiva del 1933, una short story con tutte le carte in regola, in cui il NPB si smarrisce nelle grotte dei goblins (!) e viene salvato da una spedizione di elfi; ma non prima di aver appreso le rune dalle iscrizioni sulle pareti delle caverne.
Chi ha familiarità con Tolkien, i suoi personaggi e la sua terminologia ritroverà in queste pagine l’autore amato, e scoprirà sorprendenti anticipazioni delle sue opere più celebri: l’immagine del NPB che combatte i goblins non può non richiamare alla mente Beorn nella Battaglia dei Cinque Eserciti.
E non dovrebbe stupire, considerando che anche The Hobbit ebbe origine come favola della buona notte per i figli di Tolkien—salvo, trattandosi di Tolkien, svilupparsi e diventare quello che sappiamo (recentemente una operazione commerciale piuttosto ridicola mascherata da trilogia cinematografica annacquata).

Fa tenerezza vedere che con il passare degli anni le lettere sono indirizzate ai figli mano a mano più piccoli, mentre prendono commiato dai figli ormai cresciuti, e troppo grandi per continuare a corrispondere con Babbo Natale; le ultime sono scritte alla sola Priscilla.
Non mancano tuttavia, in questa dimensione fantastica ed infantile, dei riferimenti alla situazione mondiale di quegli anni: FNC, che per lavoro gira il mondo (e ha corrispondenze così numerose, non scordiamolo!), accenna spesso alle condizioni difficili in cui la crisi del ’29 prima e la guerra mondiale poi hanno ridotto così tanti bambini e adulti.
Tolkien si conferma grande affabulatore e padre affettuoso e premuroso. Non mancano del resto nemmeno riferimenti al Natale come ricorrenza cristiana, come quando Father Nicholas Christmas menziona esplicitamente suo padre, il Nonno Yule: dallo Yuletide pagano al Christmas cristiano; e non è un caso che Tolkien usi per esteso il nome di San Nicola, anziché la più diffusa storpiatura Santa Klaus.

Questa edizione, di grande formato e su carta lucida, riproduce (spero tutti!) i disegni di Tolkien e una selezione dei suoi fogli manoscritti, che poco hanno da invidiare alle miniature medioevali. Nota negativa per la traduzione: nei casi in cui ho potuto confrontarla con l’originale mi è parsa spesso approssimativa e non di rado arbitraria; e questo deve aver influito inevitabilmente sul godimento del testo. (less)

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Dec 11, 2010 Chris Stanley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: easy-peasy-reading-group, favorites, christmas

Sensational!. I loved this and my daughter has snatched it away to read (ignoring her homework)! A book to keep forever.

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Nov 16, 2012 Timothy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-reviewed-in-2011, read-reviewed-in-2012

After J. R. R. Tolkien went to be with the Lord in 1973, the already growing demand for material written by him veritably exploded. Though most of the interest was on his Middle-Earth mythology, he had written much else that was unpublished in his life time (a great deal of which he never intended or dreamed of publishing). Indeed, writing seemed to be a hobby and private pleasure for the linguistics professor.

His literary estate has met this demand, and one of the books that was published is a...more After J. R. R. Tolkien went to be with the Lord in 1973, the already growing demand for material written by him veritably exploded. Though most of the interest was on his Middle-Earth mythology, he had written much else that was unpublished in his life time (a great deal of which he never intended or dreamed of publishing). Indeed, writing seemed to be a hobby and private pleasure for the linguistics professor.

His literary estate has met this demand, and one of the books that was published is a delightful, slim volume that has been called *Letters from Father Christmas*. In it are reproduced for the reader pictures of letters and drawings (with the text printed out for easy reading) Tolkien made for his children in fictional replies supposedly from the mythical Father Christmas. Every year, until each stopped believing in Father Christmas, they would write letters to him, and each year (sometimes more than once a year), Tolkien would write replies that would either appear on Christmas morning, or be delivered by the mailman, who presumably didn't mind doing so to make the children happy.

These letters are nothing spectacular, and were never intended for publication. They were a father's gifts to his children to stoke their imaginations and increase their joy and faith in the unseen, but very much *real*, spiritual realm. Despite this, they still display Tolkien's immense creativity.

The early letters were merely acknowledgments of “having received” the Tolkien children's letters, and saying he would do/had done his best to get them what they asked for. As time went on, however, Tolkien introduced more and more creativity into the letters. First he had Father Christmas tell of the zany misadventures of his chief assistant, the “North Polar Bear” (who would also write alongside Father Christmas in the margins of the correspondence). The Polar Bear, known by several nicknames, was strong and would later prove mighty in battle, and skillful in his tasks assisting Father Christmas. He was also *quite* clumsy. Most of the accidents and travails Father Christmas suffered were due to Polar Bear's comical destruction that he would accidentally wreak on Santa's home and toyshop, reindeer stables, and so forth.

Eventually, Tolkien had Father Christmas relate stories of battles with goblins, which is where North Polar Bear displays his fighting chops, and of more and more friends at the North Pole. One of his chief assistants among the elves, who also helps write said letters, is his secretary, “Ilbereth”. Despite the fact that the elves in the letters seem to be the typical pint-sized variety from regular Santa Claus/Father Christmas myths, the name is still something that fans of *The Lord of the Rings* will find to be an interesting foreshadowing. There are other fun references to Tolkien's popular work at that time, but I'll leave those to the reader to discover for themselves.

Indeed, Tolkien's creative mindset that would later so heavily influence his Middle-Earth cosmology can be easily seen herein. His connection of the Christian story or “True Myth” to the pagan myths that called to, and foreshadowed it, is clear with his reference to his “Green Brother” and their father “Grandfather Yule”. Grandfather Yule, in particular is definitely a callback to the winter solstice and other pagan festivals that the Christmas Holy Day replaced. This is made clear since Father Christmas is unsure of his own age, but knows that his guesses take one near to the first Christmas, whereas he mentions Grandfather Yule being *quite* a bit older than he is.

In the letters, it seems that Tolkien couldn't resist going beyond a simple task of having “Father Christmas” respond to his children to their joy. He naturally expanded the letters into a venue to tell his children exciting stories that he thought would thrill them. Despite the enjoyment one gets from the fun, short letters themselves, this is certainly a plus to those who are interested in the mindset of Tolkien. The man had not just a God-given talent for creating stories, but a deep desire to do so.

These letters are not necessary to understand Tolkien, or a fine piece of literature. They're merely fun letters that have a Christmas feel to them. Certainly not something for which to reorder your reading list, or spend money right away on, but if you do get the chance to read them, I would certainly recommend that you do so. (less)

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Nov 16, 2010 Bettie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: one-penny-wonder, published-1976, winter-20102011, adventure, epistolatory-diary-blog, art-forms, fantasy, families, amusing, kiddlewinks, mythology, poetry, polar, teh-brillianz, war

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 14, 2009 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Utterly charming, the reading of which deserves to be as much a holiday tradition as Clement Moore's 'A Visit From Saint Nicholas!

Philadelphia is strong on tradition. We're not against progress, but, the Bellevue Hotel is still the Bellevue, the Mummers still parade up Broad Street, win or lose, we love our sports teams and... no matter who owns the store, Wanamaker's is still Wanamakers. Say, "I'll meet you at the Eagle," to a Philadelphian, and many know exactly where in John Wanamaker's you m...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quel plaisir cela a dû être pour les enfants Tolkien de recevoir à chaque Noël ces missives ! C'est tout simplement une idée de génie de la part de leur père, un cadeau magnifique aussi.

J'ai aimé que le style des lettres soit simple et "naturel". Pas de place ici pour un style hyper travaillé ce qui, je pense, contribue à rendre la correspondance plus réelle.

De plus, j'ai trouvé excellent de faire intervenir d'autres personnages que le Père Noël. Mon préféré dans l'histoire : l'ours polaire. I...more Quel plaisir cela a dû être pour les enfants Tolkien de recevoir à chaque Noël ces missives ! C'est tout simplement une idée de génie de la part de leur père, un cadeau magnifique aussi.

J'ai aimé que le style des lettres soit simple et "naturel". Pas de place ici pour un style hyper travaillé ce qui, je pense, contribue à rendre la correspondance plus réelle.

De plus, j'ai trouvé excellent de faire intervenir d'autres personnages que le Père Noël. Mon préféré dans l'histoire : l'ours polaire. Il m'a fait rire, il est maladroit et ses interventions dans les lettres du Père Noël le rendent sympathique et attachant.

Cependant, j'ai trouvé ma lecture un peu longue par moment et à refaire, je pense que je me contenterais de quelques lettres chaque soir plutôt que de lire tout à la suite. Cela doit vraiment être chouette de lire ce livre avec des enfants aussi... A tester avec mon filleul lorsqu'il aura quelques années de plus ou avec mes enfants lorsque j'en aurai.

Parlons un peu de l'imagination de Tolkien à présent... Une chose est sûre : l'auteur a la tête bien remplie. Je n'avais encore rien lu de son œuvre et n'avais donc pas d'attentes particulières. Alors même si cette lecture n'a pas été un coup de coeur, j'ai très envie de lire autre chose de Tolkien, Bilbo m'a été conseillé pour commencer :-).

Par contre, côté illustrations, je ne suis pas fan. Elles apportent quelque chose à l'ouvrage, certes, mais je n'ai pas adhéré au style. Je ne les ai pas trouvées particulièrement jolies ni agréables à regarder.

Je trouve l'initiative d'éditer ce courrier vraiment chouette afin de partager ce que les enfants de Tolkien ont reçu avec d'autres enfants n'ayant pas des parents alliant des talents d'écrivain à une imagination débordante. Mais honnêtement, à leur place, je pense que j'aurais aimé garder ces lettres comme un trésor de famille, quelque chose qu'on lirait à ses enfants de génération en génération, quelque chose de secret et de magique.

A lire au moins une fois !(less)

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Dec 27, 2012 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Children, Tolkien fans, Christmas

Recommended to Jason by: I got it for Christmas many moons ago

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is a collection of the letters Santa Claus (or J. R. R. Tolkien if you’re a non-believer) wrote to the Tolkien children between 1920 and 1942. It doesn’t include all of the letters, but starts with the 1925 epistle, and has most of them up through 1942. I believe this may be because I have an early version of this collection, and they didn’t know where all the other letters were. It’s my understanding that the others were found, and included in a later version of this.

The letters are a...more This book is a collection of the letters Santa Claus (or J. R. R. Tolkien if you’re a non-believer) wrote to the Tolkien children between 1920 and 1942. It doesn’t include all of the letters, but starts with the 1925 epistle, and has most of them up through 1942. I believe this may be because I have an early version of this collection, and they didn’t know where all the other letters were. It’s my understanding that the others were found, and included in a later version of this.

The letters are amusing, and usually accompanied by hand drawn pictures showing the events described in the letters. Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, and is helped by his bumbling partner the North Polar Bear as well as several elves. The poor NPB can’t win for losing. In the very first letter, Santa’s hat blows away, and gets stuck on the north pole itself. The Polar Bear climbs it to retrieve the hat, but breaks the pole which falls into Santa’s house and destroys it. This causes Santa to have to rebuild in a new location. The Polar Bear is also always dropping presents down the stairs, leaving the water on in the bathtub with his foot blocking the overflow drain after he's fallen asleep, and flooding the house, and accidentally using up too much of the Northern Lights gas which causes Santa not to be able to turn on the Northern Lights for two years.

However, North Polar Bear redeems himself during the Goblin battles in the mid to late 1930s. It seems that Santa’s house is often besieged, often for months at a time, by goblins who want to destroy all the presents he’s making for children. When they show up, the Polar Bear becomes quite a murderous machine, and the snow is littered with goblin blood and bodies. I’m assuming NPB is related to Beorn from The Hobbit in some way. After all, everyone has at least one retarded cousin.

There are other characters in these letters, but they’re not as entertaining as the bear, so I’ll pass them by. I enjoyed this book, but can’t say that I “really liked it,” which is what the 4th star indicates. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, but I’m changing my own rules (because I can) and rounding it down instead of up, so 3 stars for Mr. Tolkien’s letters.

One last note: a reviewer of this book, or maybe the extended version that comes out later, said that this rivals “The Lord of the Rings for sheer imaginative joy.” Another predicted that this would become a classic of children’s literature. I think that’s laying it on a little thick, so don’t you believe it. It’s a lot of fun, but I think it falls short of classic status, and it’s certainly no LOTR, even when taking only “imaginative joy” into consideration, but I do recommend checking it out if you’re into fantasy. It’s short, and certainly no time-thief.
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Aug 22, 2012 Christopher rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, kid-raising

This was a find in the library as we were trying to find May's summer reading books.

The edition I have is entitled "The Father Christmas Letters" but I assume it's the same book.

I was very surprised to find this. I thought I had seen (if not actually read) all of the published writings of Tolkien. (I had inherited a whole stack from my uncle).

The letters cover 20 years and tend to be a bit short. Sometimes they feel like excuses for a parent to not fill all of the children's Christmas requests....more

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Dec 08, 2011 Louise rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not the biggest fan of Tolkien (ssssshhhh), only having read some of The Hobbit, and never even starting The Lord of the Rings (even the movie versions are a bit much for me), and so I only came to hear of this book this year as I was casting about looking for some new Christmas Reading.

This lovely book from the 1970s reproduces most of the letters and drawings that Tolkein (as Father Christmas) wrote to his young children over a period of over 20 years, from 1920 to 1940, in response to the...more

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Dec 05, 2009 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christmas

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this collection of letters that "Father Christmas" wrote to the Tolkien children from the 1920s to the end of the 1930s. What I discovered surprised me, and yet I couldn't help but nod my head and chuckle and think, "of course, of course!" When the imagination behind Middle Earth meets up with the magic and lore of the North Pole, a very unique Father Christmas emerges! Here we have a Father Christmas who is kind and thoughtful yet who als...more I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this collection of letters that "Father Christmas" wrote to the Tolkien children from the 1920s to the end of the 1930s. What I discovered surprised me, and yet I couldn't help but nod my head and chuckle and think, "of course, of course!" When the imagination behind Middle Earth meets up with the magic and lore of the North Pole, a very unique Father Christmas emerges! Here we have a Father Christmas who is kind and thoughtful yet who also fends off marauding goblins (who tend to steal Christmas presents!) and who is always shaking his head and cleaning up the mess made by his good-natured but trouble-making helper, the North Pole Bear. We have a variety of interesting elves and gonomes, and even snowmen and the children of snowmen--and Cave Bears and the nephews of the North Pole Bear (who are pint-sized but full of trouble, too!) Why, did you know Father Christmas has a switch that turns on the Aurora Borealis? And that the North Pole Bear and the elves have their own alphabet? Father Christmas is also a fine artist and sends along many drawings illustrating the chaotic and humorous events in his letters. I almost felt sorry for the chap and he always seems to be exhausted or frustrated from one crazy event or another (such as trying to find North Pole Bear who got lost in the caves!)--sometimes too tired or with hands too cold or sore to write much, but then there is a good spirit behind all the letters and we know he and North Pole Bear have a grand friendship for all that. And gosh darn it if I wasn't tearing up for "The Final Letter."

While I certainly feel this book could be enjoyed by some children, I really think grown-ups might want to preview it first as it is, as I said, not your typical jolly Santa Claus with perfect elves in a glorious toy factory with Mrs Claus baking cookies. But it is full of wonderful imagination and I was captivated. What lucky children the Tolkeins were to receive these loving missives from Father Christmas!

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Dec 07, 2011 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: holiday, children, british

One year for Christmas, I thought it would be cute to write a little tag on the gifts to my children from Santa. I used extra curly calligraphy thinking someone as magical as Santa to have somewhat effeminate handwriting. What I didn't plan on with this creative endeavor was having to continue this laborious font for anything more than my children's names. The following year, my children were asking for Santa's autograph and then for more extensive communications for which I had neither desire n...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Dorothea rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was enjoying these until the letter of 1932, when the goblins first appeared.

Father Christmas explains: "Goblins are to us very much what rats are to you, only worse, because they are very clever, and only better because there are, in these parts, very few."

In 1935, "They won't dare to come into my land yet; but for some reason they are breeding again and multiplying all over the world. Quite a nasty outbreak."

I know that in Western literature it's very difficult to avoid hearing about small,...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In 1920, when J.R.R. Tolkien’s eldest son was only three years old, his children began to receive a series of letters from the North Pole. Each year they would arrive with special postage stamps and drawings, bearing the shaky handwriting and stories of Father Christmas. For the next 22 years, the Tolkien children would correspond with Father Christmas, sending their wish lists and best wishes and receiving in return love and stories like no others.

Letters from Father Christmas is a very short a...more In 1920, when J.R.R. Tolkien’s eldest son was only three years old, his children began to receive a series of letters from the North Pole. Each year they would arrive with special postage stamps and drawings, bearing the shaky handwriting and stories of Father Christmas. For the next 22 years, the Tolkien children would correspond with Father Christmas, sending their wish lists and best wishes and receiving in return love and stories like no others.

Letters from Father Christmas is a very short and quick read comprised of photographs of the envelopes, stamps, letters, and drawings that J.R.R. Tolkien created in the name of Father Christmas for his children. Published posthumously, the collection was edited by Baillie Tolkien, his daughter-in-law.

If you are looking for unexpected charm, warmth, and unabashed fun this holiday season, Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas provides just that. There is at least one letter for each year, some short, some long, and some years brought several letters from October or November through the season. The letters portray the adventures of Father Christmas along with his bumbling companion, the North Polar Bear. Our dear friend Polar Bear is constantly involved in all sorts of shenanigans ranging from setting off two years works of fire works in one go so that there will be no northern lights for two years, to falling asleep in the tub with the tap running so that all of that year's presents get flooded. As time marches forward, the North Pole becomes increasingly habitated by Snowbabies, Bear Cubs, Elves, Gnomes, and insidious Goblins. There are epic battles, parties, and no small account of jovial scenes that will charm adults and children alike (in fact, I would suggest reading this one as a family).

As an adult fan of Tolkien's work, Letters from Father Christmas gives one some very interesting insight into the writer's home life. Clearly he was a man who loved his children very much. Many years the mishaps at the North Pole are used to help explain away the reality that the children do not receive everything they have asked for. One particular year, Father Christmas mentions not having as much room in his sleigh for presents because he is carrying food and blankets for those many children who are hungry and cold on Christmas Eve; a very subtle but powerful reminder to his children that they are rich in home and family regardless of how much they receive Father Christmas even mentions one year that he was going to bring them "Hobbits" since he was bringing it to many children, but figured that they would have lots already. The latest letters take place during WWII, which Father Christmas speaks of with great distaste and blames for his dwindling stores. Here is one short letter from that time, which also alludes to the many adventures we've had to this point:

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 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

While I honestly cannot recommend the Kindle edition of Letters from Father Christmas as you lose too much of the charm and beauty of the colorful artwork, I do recommend picking up a more recent publication as earlier editions omitted some of the letters and drawings that have been included in more recent editions.

Original review posted at Bunbury in the Stacks.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 17, 2009 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't know what to expect when I pick this book up from the library, but I absolutely love it! I actually didn't even know this book existed until I starting looking for Christmas books to read before Christmas. Tolkien started writing letters from 'Father Christmas' to his children starting in the 1920s and continued until the 1940's. Father Christmas has his own specific shaky handwritting and he draws pictures for the kids. Each letter comes in a personally made envelope. This is such a cu...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Jeanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book came as a gift from dear friends and was one of the most delightful books I've read in a long time. I love the characters that Father Christmas incorporated into his letters, and the exciting mishaps and adventures that seemed to happen each year in the North Pole. You definitely see Tolkien's penchant for mythical creatures and battles between good and evil that are main themes in The Hobbit / LOTR books.

To me it is so touching that Tolkien spent so many hours writing these beautiful...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Carol Mcleod rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christmas-books

The Best Christmas Family Book Ever! I have enjoyed so many memories of warm cosy winter nights cuddled up with my twin daughters reading this book to them year after year!
It is still a special family tradition we have every December in the build up to Christmas and my girls are now in High School!
If you love reading to your children and enjoy festive traditions then do not hesitate to purchase this book as it will make lots of treasured memories for your family for years to come.
It is based o...more

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Dec 24, 2010 Sera rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Holiday book readers

Recommended to Sera by: Meghan

Shelves: children-ya, own

This book was very interesting, and I found it to be a quick and enjoyable read. The book is comprised of original letters from Tolkien posing as Father Christmas to his four children that are reproduced therein. The letters tell the adventures of Father Christmas, together with his Polar Bear helper, which later include red elves and goblins. In addition, the book is filled with illustrations that had been included with the letters.

The letters represent Tolkien's great creativity and sense of h...more

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Dec 16, 2009 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, nonfiction, british-influence, christmas, favorites

Father Christmas + Goblins. Who would've ever thought? This book is too awesome. It is a collection of letters that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote as "Father Christmas" and sent to his children.

In it, you'll read about the antics of the funny North Polar Bear and his friends, goblin wars, numerous disasters at Father Christmas's house, and touching explanations for shortages of presents--many of the letters were written during the Depression and World War II years. The letters are wonderfully illustrated...more

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Jan 31, 2013 the never-ending library added it

Charming doesn’t quite cover it for me on this one.

I first listened to Derek Jacobi reading this on ‘my first sony’, (I still have the cassette tapes) and what a magnificent actor to give voice to Tolkien’s living, breathing, letter-writing and present-giving Father Christmas. His voice shifts from wilful to soft effortlessly and his Polar Bear is equal shares terrifying and benevolent in tone.

With Tolkien’s unimpeachable story-telling skills at the helm I fell into the delicious world of this e...more

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Dec 11, 2010 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Letters From Father Christmas" had a number of plus points for me. The idea is quite simple - a collection of letters and illustrations by J.J.R.Tolkien, in the guise of Father Christmas, to his children. However, the letters are not only about Father Christmas, but are full of delightful details about the Polar Bear and his exploits and also the mayhem caused by Goblins. The imaginative writing of this master storyteller gives us hints of what is in store in "The Hobbit" and his other works.
I...more

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Jan 11, 2008 Todd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

My wife stumbled upon this book at the library one day and I thought it was an amazing find. It is a collection of letters that Tolkein wrote to his children as Father Christmas, including drawings in his own hand. It is a peek into the personal life of a very influential author.

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Dec 03, 2012 Kirsty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: purchased-2012, christmas, read-2012, best-of-2012

This book is absolutely lovely. Tolkien has fashioned wonderful stories about Father Christmas and the North Polar Bear, and his illustrations throughout are just beautiful. Wonderfully inventive and festive, and sure to delight even the most Grinchy person at Christmastime.

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Dec 23, 2010 Julie (Mom2lnb) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, Unique Holiday Stories

Shelves: childrens-fiction, desert-island-keepers, holiday-stories, read-2010

Reviewed for THC Reviews
I can only imagine the excitement of the Tolkien children to receive these wonderful letters from Father Christmas every year, or what it must have been like to have such a talented writer as a father. I, for one, think that it would have been splendid to get letters from Santa each Christmas. Letters from Father Christmas (previously released as The Father Christmas Letters) is a delightful book that is sure to entertain readers both young and old. Starting in 1920 when...more Reviewed for THC Reviews
I can only imagine the excitement of the Tolkien children to receive these wonderful letters from Father Christmas every year, or what it must have been like to have such a talented writer as a father. I, for one, think that it would have been splendid to get letters from Santa each Christmas. Letters from Father Christmas (previously released as The Father Christmas Letters) is a delightful book that is sure to entertain readers both young and old. Starting in 1920 when his oldest son was three, J. R. R. Tolkien began writing letters to his children from Father Christmas telling of his adventures that year with his friend North Polar Bear. Along with each letter was also a picture that made a lovely accompaniment (for some reason I never realized that Mr. Tolkien was an artist as well). All of the pictures and portions of some of the original handwritten messages, penned in a funny spidery scrawl, are reproduced in this book.

The tone of the letters is something different than I had imagined before picking the book up, but this would probably only make it more intriguing to adult readers. Embedded in each one, I could see a certain degree of social commentary on the times. These missives were written between 1920 and 1939. Of course, during that time, there was the aftermath of one World War and the beginning of another as well as the Great Depression. Ofttimes, Santa is befallen by some calamity which is used to explain why he was unable to bring the children all they asked for in their stockings. As the years go by, the stories increase in complexity and become more and more imaginative. Santa finds himself battling goblins who are the denizens of evil, and new characters are introduced with some of the later letters being written in part by Father Christmas's elf helper, Ilbereth. Overall, I believe readers will be able to see shades of Mr. Tolkien's later work in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (there is even a short passage written in Elvish). At the end, there is a letter from Polar Bear written in the goblin alphabet which will keep readers busy for a while deciphering it.

In my opinion, Letters from Father Christmas is a must-have book for true Tolkien fans. I borrowed it from the library but will definitely be acquiring a copy for my keeper shelf. Although our children may be too old now to fully appreciate it, I'm sure my husband and I will enjoy it ourselves for years to come and look forward to sharing it with our grandchildren or any other youngsters who may become a part of our lives. Letters from Father Christmas would make a fabulous holiday gift for children of all ages, and could easily be turned into a family tradition by reading one letter each night leading up to Christmas.(less)

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Dec 27, 2012 Wesley Winegarden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What does an author give his children for Christmas?

An extraordinary letter from the big man at the North Pole of course.

This book is the complete collection of those letter, and when collected they make an amazing read. For through these letters the reader not only gets a glimpse of life in the Tolkien house, but also a glimpse at what life was like in Oxford during the early decades of the 20th century. As well, readers can also see that these letters were used by Tolkien to work on some of h...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Steve Wales rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone at Christmas!

Shelves: ebooks, fiction-other, christmas, 2011, kindle, illustrated

A collection of beautifully illustrated letters to the children in the Tolkien family about the adventures of Father Christmas with the Polar Bear at the North Pole each Christmas. Enchanting tales with wonderful characters - the Polar Bear's scrapes are always entertaining. It's also particularly poignant during the war when Father Christmas has little to deliver (stolen by opportunistic goblins) and has difficulty finding all the evacuees and children made homeless by bombings. Lovely little b...more

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Jan 11, 2011 X rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is wonderful on so many different levels! As a Christmas story, it is perfect, though not always what one would expect of a Christmas book. Father Christmas does a marvelous job of telling his young friends about the North Pole and his own adventures/mishaps, as well as (or perhaps especially) those of his friend and assistant Polar Bear, through his yearly letters. The illustrations (Tolkien's own) naturally match each letter quite well, and though the facsimiles of the actual letter...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this with my kids leading up to Christmas. We really enjoyed it. The kids were a little young to get everything, particularly English terms that only an inhabitant of Brittan comprehends.

Tolkien's imagination is a joy to experience. He crafted these stories for his kids, impersonating Father Christmas and sending them one letter each year. It is fun to follow Santa's adventures each year as he tries to meet his deadlines. His partner the Polar Bear is always getting into mischief and alt...more

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About J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE, was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings .

Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from 1925 to 1945, and Merton Professor of English language and literature from 1945 to 1959. He was a close friend of C.S. Lewis.

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Books by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)

The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)

The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3)

The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)

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“If you find that not many of the things you asked for have come, and not perhaps quite so many as sometimes, remember that this Christmas all over the world there are a terrible number of poor and starving people.” — 12 people liked it

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