TCG Letter #1959

Father Christmas writes to Christopher and Priscilla, "and other old friends at 20 Northmoor Road" for Christmas 1937. He remarks that is is 17 years since he had begun writing to the children and he wonders if they still have the letters?^{"Luckily, Professor Tolkien didn't leave the letter and drawing [sic] to get trodden underfoot or chucked into a toy box... He wisely collected them, soon after Christmas, and put them in a great big envelope, labeled 'The Father Christmas Letters'. Quoted from Over 21, December 1976. Our grateful thanks to Marquette University Archive for helping locate the article from Over 21.[1]} (It should be noted that in Carpenter's Letter #19 (J.R.R. Tolkien to Stanley Unwin, 16 December 1937) Tolkien tells Stanley Unwin that he has not yet written the FC letter for 1937. He does appear to have intended a volume of the Father Christmas letters.)

FC says that he was worried as he had not heard from any of the children, and sent a messenger to Oxford who reported that "Their house is empty and everything is sold.” I was afraid something had happened, or that you had all gone to school in some other town, and your father and mother had moved. Of course, I know now; the messenger had been to your old house next door!!^{Note that the Tolkien family had been at 22 Northmoor Road since January 1930.[2]} In the end, their letters did arrive, and he thanks the children for their "helpful lists".

He asks them to tell their father that FC is sorry he is unwell.^{See Carpenter's Letter #19 (J.R.R. Tolkien to Stanley Unwin, 16 December 1937)[3]} He says that he has also had bad eyes, describing it as "snow-blindness". He is sorry, but he has not been able to draw any pictures for them this year, though they do receive a picture from Ilbereth.

FC comments on Ilbereth, noting that he is very clever. He can write alphabets in "Arctic, Latin (that is ordinary European like you use), Greek, Russian, Runes, and of course Elvish".

In a later portion of the letter, Ilbereth tells the children about the picture he drew for them. It is mentioned that this year they will be sending "hobbits".

1937	A 76	B 94	C 95	D 99	E 04	F 09	G 12	H 19	I 20	J 23
Letter - "My dear Christopher and Priscilla, and other old friends...", 3 pages			L10 RC			123	137 138 143	155 156 161	155 156 161	155 156 161
Transcription	35- 37	3/4- 3/27	L10v	116- 120	82- 86	117- 122	136	154	154- 163	154- 163
Art - 9 square panels by Ilbereth	36	3/6- 3/26	38 40	117	83	119	141	159	159	159
Envelope - "NORTH *** POLE / XT ***** MAS / 1937" - with wax seal	37	3/28		114	TP	116	136	157	157	157