TCG Letter #2222

Further to their Letter from Father Christmas to John, Michael and Christopher Tolkien • 20 December 1928 (#1940), the boys receive a second letter on Boxing Day. FC blames Polar Bear for this. Polar Bear adds on the envelope that it was not his fault, and that FC forgot to send the letter.

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

The Polar Bear’s denial of culpability for the delay makes sense in light of the “Boxing Day” note that follows. Scull and Hammond explain as follows in their Chronology, 157: “Although [Father Christmas’s] letter is dated 20 December, it is probably not finished in time for Christmas Day, as an added note dated Boxing Day (26 December) states that the North Polar Bear failed to post it earlier.”

1928	A 76	B 94	C 95	D 99	E 04	F 09	G 12	H 19	I 20	J 23
Letter - "Another Christmas and I am another year older...", 2 pages	11	2/1	L4	39	27	37	38 42	48 51	48 51	48 51
Transcription	11	2/2- 2/6	L4v	36- 40	24- 26	36- 41	37	47	47- 53	47- 53
Art - Polar Bear falls down the stairs / smiling moon over north pole	12	2/3 2/4- 2/5	14 17	41	29	38	41	52	52	52
Envelope							37	47	47	47 RC
Boxing Day Note				43		42	44	54	54	54
Transcription of Boxing Day note				42	28	43	45	55	55	55