Father Christmas Letters: 1935

[Estelyn Telcontar]

This letter is unusual in that there is not a separate picture to go with the letter, but small illustrations within the text. Father Christmas says he has no ink and no water, which accounts for the lack of a painted picture. Apparently JRRT used various coloured pencils both for writing and for drawing. The coloured ones are used to great effect in illuminating some of the letters, especially the "My dear Children" at the beginning. (I haven't been able to find an online image of this letter, so I hope enough people can see it to join in the discussion.)

Father Christmas mentions the overabundance of snow that winter - which makes the drawings easy to do! He also writes about the Red Elves again, whom he says "turn everything into a game". Sounds a bit like "tra-la-la-lally", doesn't it?!

There is a hidden reference to the European/world situation, only four years before WWII begins:

...for some reason they [the goblins] are breeding again and multiplying all over the world.

I do like the notion of magic sparkler spears that the elves have for defending themselves!

The greetings at the end of this letter go to all four children - and to their teddy bears.

[Guinevere]

Yes, it's a pity that the lovely facsimile of this letter ( all 4 pages!) with the amusing drawings, decorations and PB's remarks in the margins can't be shown here! I prefer this almost to the large pictures!

I notice that by now, FC's small helpers are called "Red Elves" and not "Red Gnomes" anymore.