A CHRISTMAS BOOK FROM J.R.R. TOLKIEN

As children, many of us wrote at least one "letter to Santa"; but can you imagine, as a child, receiving an envelope every December with a letter from Santa Claus, addressed to you in spidery handwriting, bearing a stamp from the North Pole, and left in the fireplace hearth, as if it had been delivered down the chimney?

Well, J.R.R. Tolkien's children received such letters every December from 1920 - 1943.  Tolkien, as Father Christmas, wrote the letters, which were accompanied by humorous illustrations (also drawn by Tolkien).

LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS is the charming collection of these letters, which also include notes from some of the other inhabitants of the North Pole, such as Ilbereth the Elf and a North Pole Bear.  I wish I had known about this book as a child, or when my own children were young. (You can be sure Father Christmas will drop a copy in their stockings this year! shhh - don't tell.)  

Click HERE to see a slide show, posted by the New York Times, of some of the wonderful drawings from the book.