TCG Letter #1927

Writing to John Tolkien, Father Christmas tells him that he is "nineteen hundred and twenty four, no! seven! years old". Remarking he is much older than John's Great-Grandfather. He has heard that John is getting very good at reading, so hopes he can read his shaky handwriting. He remarks that John can expect some "Lotts bricks". He says that they are tidier than "Picabrix".

He signs off with his name proper, "Fr. Nicholas Christmas".

In 'Toward an Annotated Father Christmas' Ian Hollenbaugh further notes the following details:

Lott’s Bricks Ltd was started by E.A. Lott, and produced simple artificial-stone blocks in reasonably naturalistic colours, in rectangular and wedge shapes from 1918 onwards. The blocks were stacked without any special pegs or joints, relying on weight and friction to stay together. Roofs were hinged pieces of printed cardboard.^{https://www.brightontoymuseum.co.uk/index/Category:Lotts_Bricks[1]}

The Picabrix wooden block construction set system was patented by Arthur Gray Pickard in 1921, and manufactured by the Thornton-Pickard Manufacturing Company, Ltd. in Altringham, England. The core system consisted of a set of rectangular blocks and wedges with holes drilled in all the faces, and wooden pegs or dowels to peg everything together. Overall, the system pieces tended to give the impression of a collection of wooden dominoes and gaming dice, with the spots replaced by holes.^{https://www.brightontoymuseum.co.uk/index/Category:Picabrix[2]}

Tolkien’s grandfather, John Suffield (1833 – 1930), was indeed alive at this time, aged 90, and had visited the Tolkien's in 1923 (see Biography, p. 113). He lived another seven years, being 97 at the time of his death. Carpenter suggests that he may have been a model for the Old Took (Biography, p. 179).

1923	A 76	B 94	C 95	D 99	E 04	F 09	G 12	H 19	I 20	J 23
Letter, 2 pages				13 15	9	12 13	12 13	16 17	16 17	16 17
Transcription				12 14	8	11	11	15	15	15
Envelope "DEC. 23 / 1923 / Master John Francis Tolkien... Leeds"			19	10	10	10	10	14	14	14
Stamp - blue border, north pole with red sun behind and second line of white mountains, "NORTH*POLE" top, "*POST*" bottom	4	3/2	19	2	FT	10	10	14	14	14