Inside would be a letter in a strange, spidery handwriting and a beautiful colored drawing or painting. ' Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. The 1939 letter has Father Christmas making reference to the Second World War, while some of the later letters feature Father Christmas' battles against Goblins, which were subsequently interpreted as being a reflection of Tolkien's views on the German foe in the War. The stories include descriptions of the massive fireworks that create the northern lights and how Polar Bear manages to get into trouble on more than one occasion. They document the adventures and misadventures of Father Christmas, described as the brother of Green Brother and son of Grandfather Yule, and his helpers, including the North Polar Bear and his two sidekick cubs, Paksu and Valkotukka. © The Tolkien Trust 2012 Cave drawings, 1932.The stories are told in the format of a series of letters, told either from the point of view of Father Christmas or his elvish secretary Ilbereth. © The Tolkien Estate Ltd 1976 First page from Father Christmas letter, 1932. Atlas Obscura has some images of the letters, which will be on view from June 1 through to October 28, 2018. Next year, you will be able to see these letters at Oxford’s Bodleiean Libraries exhibition Tolkien: The Maker of Middle-Earth, along with a trove of other Tolkien artifacts.

They were presented to his children in envelopes with North Pole postage stamps-two kisses per letter-and later Tolkien persuaded the postman to include them in his mail deliveries. As with The Hobbit, which Tolkien wrote and published in this period, the letters contain entire worlds, with invented languages and histories, alongside detailed illustrations.Įven the methods of delivery for the letters were as authentic as possible. What follows is a tale of a beloved polar bear, mysterious caves filled with goblins, and their heroic counterparts, the Red Gnomes. It all began with the funny noises underground … ” Drawing of the aurora borealis, 1926. First of all a Merry Christmas! But there have been lots of adventures you will want to hear about. The 1932 letter begins, “Dear Children, There is alot to tell you. What began as short, informative letters-“I am just now off to Oxford with a bundle of toys”-evolved into longer tales about life at the North Pole. His dome-shaped house glows from a wintery hillside, at the end of a staircase lit with lanterns.įor the next 23 years, every Christmas Eve, Tolkien wrote a letter to his four children from Father Christmas. A red-coated figure with a long white beard and a rosy red nose walks through the snow. The accompanying picture that he drew is charmingly Tolkien-esque.

The father christmas letters tolkien