TCG Letter #1941

Father Christmas writes to the Tolkien children, including six month old Priscilla, the Tolkien's last child. FC says that it has been light as the Northern Lights "have been specially good." He says there is a lot to tell them and mentions that Polar Bear is recovering from cutting his paw while cutting Christmas trees. To please Polar Bear they had a fire to celebrate the coming of winter, and the "Snow-elves let off all the rockets together, which surprised us both." He says that he has drawn a picture for them.^{See middle picture (of three) on the 1929 drawing.[1]} FC says that the bonfire made a hole in the ice and they woke up the Great Seal. Polar Bear used all of FC's stock of silver sparklers, 20,000 of them which eh set off.

FC says that there seem to be more children every year. In "England, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, & Germany" which FC looks after, but also children in the south.

FC says that he liked all of their letters, and remarks that he gets very few letters from other children.

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

“Dear Boys & Girl”: This is the first time that Priscilla Tolkien is referred to in the letters, emphasized by the underlining of “Girl”. She is also included as one of the addressees (“P.”) on the envelope (“J. & M. & C. & P. Tolkien”). Priscilla Mary Anne Reuel Tolkien was born 18 June 1929, so in principle it was possible for her to have been referred to in the November 1929 letter from the North Polar Bear, but she was not, nor was she referred to explicitly again until 1931, as “P.M.R.” (for Priscilla Mary Anne Reuel).

“I’m specially pleased with Christopher’s card” – Christopher seems to show an aptitude for writing and drawing from an early stage (he is five years old at this time). Whereas when Michael was five years old Father Christmas asks “When is Michael going to learn to read, and write his own letters to me?”, Christopher seems advanced in this respect, which earns a bit of favoritism from Father Christmas, as we see here. This of course makes sense given what we know of Christopher’s special interest in his father’s work (as compared to the other children), later becoming the literary executor of the Tolkien Estate and editor of much of his father’s work for posthumous publication. This special attention or “favoritism” extends also to the North Polar Bear, who had said in November of 1929, “I like letters and think Cristofers ar nice”.

1929	A 76	B 94	C 95	D 99	E 04	F 09	G 12	H 19	I 20	J 23
Letter - "Nov 1929" from Polar Bear, 2 pages				47	31	45	47	56 58	56 58	56 58
Transcription "Nov 1929"	13			46	30	44	46	56	56- 58	56- 58
Envelope "BOYS AT 22 NORTHMOOR RD" from Polar Bear								57	57	57
Letter - "Xmas 1929", "It is a light Christmas again...", 3 pages							48 51 55	60 65 64	60 64 65	60 64 65
Transcription "Xmas 1929"	13	2/8- 2/13		48- 51	32- 35	47- 51	49	59	59- 66	59- 66
Art - Father Christmas in sleigh above sea and clouds				51	35	50	54	67	67	67
Art - Father Christmas and Polar Bear in office / bonfire and fireworks / window opening	14	2/9 2/12 2/13	18 20	49	33	49	52	62	62	62
Envelope "J.&M.&C.&P. Tolkien"			6	44	RC	46	49	59	59	59
Stamp A - "2" in diamond with holly in corners	13		6	2	FT	46	49	59	59	59
Stamp B - "sun and tree" in holly border	13	2/7	6	2	TP	46	49	59	59	59