J.R.R. Tolkien is finest recognized for the sweeping fantasy landscapes of Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit. Other than being a celebrated creator, the Oxford University professor of Anglo-Saxon was additionally a devoted father who doted on his children.
In 1920, a number of brief years after Tolkien returned from World Warfare I, he started an endearing family Christmas tradition that may continue for the following 23 years. After the delivery of his firstborn son, John, Tolkien started to write down his 4 children letters from Father Christmas. These North Pole tales mainly concern Father Christmas’ struggles towards the north’s bat-riding goblins, in addition to the mischievous hijinks of his helper, North Polar Bear. An adept illustrator whose original drawings accompanied lots of his writings (see his book cover designs for Lord of the Rings), Tolkien included with lots of his Christmas letters a set of allureing pictures.
The numerous letters had been eventually collected in a beautiful volume referred to as Letters From Father Christmas. Because of the great work of Letters of Note, we deliver to you a sample letter from 1925:
Cliff Home
High of the World
Close to the North Pole
Xmas 1925
My pricey boys,
I’m dreadfully busy this 12 months — it makes my hand extra shaky than ever after I consider it — and never very wealthy. In truth, terrible issues have been happening, and a few of the presents have gotten spoilt and I haven’t obtained the North Polar Bear to assist me and I’ve needed to transfer home simply earlier than Christmas, so you may imagine what a state eachfactor is in, and you will note why I’ve a brand new deal with, and why I can solely write one letter between you each. All of it happened like this: one very windy day final November my hood blew off and went and caught on the highest of the North Pole. I instructed him to not, however the N.P.Bear climbed as much as the skinny prime to get it down — and he did. The pole broke within the middle and fell on the roof of my home, and the N.P.Bear fell by way of the outlet it made into the dining room with my hood over his nostril, and all of the snow fell off the roof into the home and softened and put out all of the fires and ran down into the cellars the place I used to be collecting this 12 months’s presents, and the N.P.Bear’s leg obtained broken. He’s effectively once more now, however I used to be so cross with him that he says he received’t attempt to assist me once more. I anticipate his temper is harm, and can be mended by subsequent Christmas. I ship you a picture of the accident, and of my new home on the cliffs above the N.P. (with beautiful cellars within the cliffs). If John can’t learn my outdated shaky writing (1925 years outdated) he should get his father to. When is Michael going to be taught to learn, and write his personal letters to me? A lot of like to you each and Christopher, whose title is slightly like mine.
That’s all. Goodbye.
Father Christmas
through The Paris Review
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110 Drawings and Paintings by J.R.R. Tolkien: Of Middle-Earth and Beyond
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Discover J.R.R. Tolkien’s Personal Book Cover Designs for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
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Ilia Blinderman is a Montreal-based culture and science author. Follow him at @iliablinderman.