Letters from Father Christmas by J. R .R. Tolkien
From 1920 to 1943, J. R. R. Tolkien wrote special letters to his children from Father Christmas. The letters did not become available to the general public until the late 1970s. This edition from 2004 includes more content than previous editions along with reproductions of pictures from the letters.
The letters included fanciful drawings of life at the North Pole along with entertaining incidents. Father Christmas talks about troubles with the elves and with one special helper, the North Polar Bear, who also writes notes or comments in the margins. The Polar Bear is a comic bumbler, often messing up things. On a windy day, Father Christmas's hat flew up to the top of the North Pole. The bear climbed the pole to get it back, only to have the pole snap off and fall on Father Christmas's house! So he had to get a new home nearby. Even worse (though not the bear's fault) was the attack of goblins a few years later. A minor war ensued, enlisting the aid of other bears and various elves. Most of the time, Father Christmas talks about his work and his plans for delivering presents to everyone.
The book is very charming and the illustrations are delightful.
Recommended, highly for Tolkien fans.
Sample of the drawings--tragedy strikes the North Pole! And the new cliff-side house for Fr. Christmas.
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