Father Christmas Letters: 1920 - 1924

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Introduction

The title of this thread is actually no longer accurate - this book is now known as: Letters from Father Christmas. (Earlier editions had the above title, so among Tolkien readers, it's often still called that.) Various versions have been published, including one that has actual envelopes and separate letters in it. (I looked at that one several years back and decided that it was rather impractical for reading!) I'm not sure if the one I have (Houghton Mifflin, 2004) includes all of the letters that exist - I hope others will contribute if that is not the case. I have the years 1920, then 1923 - 1943. [According to Scull and Hammond, Companion and Guide, there are no existent letters for 1921-22.]

This book is unusual in that it is the only one of JRRT's that is edited by Baillie Tolkien, his daughter-in-law (Christopher's wife). She had worked as Tolkien Sr.'s secretary for awhile, so she was obviously familiar with his work in her own right as well as through her husband. Fortunately, the books contain not only the text of the letters, but also the delightful pictures that Tolkien drew, including the ingenious stamps, replicas of the original letters with their characteristic handwriting, and some of the envelopes. Without those visual impressions, much would be missing!

Let's start with the very first letter. [This thread will progress to include the second and third, as they are all quite brief.]

1920

Tolkien's oldest son John was only three years old when he received the first letter, a relatively short and simple one. It introduces us to Father Christmas' shaky handwriting, supposedly due to the writer's old age, and has a page with two pictures, one of Father Christmas himself and the other of his house.

Please share with us your impressions of this first letter and perhaps tell us which edition of the book you have at hand. I look forward to reading what you have to say!