TCG Letter #1943

Father Christmas writes to John, Michael, Christopher, and Priscilla. He hopes the "little things" he has sent to them. The boys are "interested in Railways just now" and most of their gifts are "of that sort". FC and Polar Bear have enjoyed the letters from the children and their pets.

Father Christmas says that the children may find that many of the things they have asked for might be missing, but reminds them that many children around the world are hungry and that they should not argue. They are to enjoy playing with their new railway together.

FC mentions that Polar has had two friends staying, "Paksu and Valkotukka (‘fat’ and ‘white-hair’ they say it means)". FC says they are "fat-tummied polar-cubs".

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

“You seem to be most interested in Railways just now” – Recall that the children have received railroad-related toys on multiple Christmases before now, as in 1924 and 1928. Railways seem to be an all-out obsession with the boys for much of their youth. Carpenter (Biography, p. 120) describes the situation thus (the first part, about almost tripping, is a hypothetical event):

• Going into Michael’s bedroom, Tolkien nearly trips over a model railway engine that has been left in the middle of the floor. He curses to himself. Michael and Christopher have a passion for railways at the moment, and they have devoted a complete upstairs room to a track layout. They also go to watch engines, and draw (with impressive precision) pictures of Great Western Railway locomotives. Tolkien does not understand or really approve of what he calls their ‘railway-mania’; to him railways only mean noise and dirt, and the despoiling of the countryside. But he tolerates the hobby, and can even be persuaded on occasions to take them on expeditions to a distant station to watch the Cheltenham Flyer pass through.
  

So it is all the more remarkable that Father Christmas (= Tolkien) is so supportive of their railway “mania,” especially since these things are so dear to goblins, as we learn in Christmas 1932. Father Christmas similarly expresses his general dislike of “aeroplanes or motors” at the end of this letter.

1931	A 76	B 94	C 95	D 99	E 04	F 09	G 12	H 19	I 20	J 23
Letter "October 31" "Already have I got some letters from you!", 2 pages				61 63	41	58 60	64 66	76 78	76 78	76 78
Transcription				61 62	40- 41	59	65	77	77- 79	77- 79
Envelope 31 Oct with wax seal								77	77	77
Letter "23 December" "I hope you will like the little things I have sent you", 2 pages			L6	65 67	43 45	63 64	69 70	83 84	83 84	83 84
Transcription	18- 20		L6v	64 66	42- 44	61- 70	67	80	80- 89	80- 89
Art - Father Christmas "My latest portrait"	17	3/FC	TP	60	40	62	68	82	82	82 TP
Art - Pencil sketch of FC in sleigh				62		70	76	89	89	89
Art - Polar Bear self-portrait "1931-1932" / Love from Karhv / "this is all drawn by..."	19 20		24	68	46	67	73	87	87	87
Art - "cracker accident" / Father Christmas making a pastry	18		22 25	69	47	68	74	88	88	88
Envelope 23 December - "I am so / sorry I for / got to post..." upper right				58		61	67	80	80	80