Father Christmas Letters: 1928

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The picture for this year's letter depicts only one scene, though it uses two levels and has some surrounding borders framing it.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1HsPh3JxiU/TMI66KqnJUI/AAAAAAAAEgE/CXrIAoYa3Ks/s1600/tolkien-polarbear-falls.jpg

It is addressed to "My dear boys" - Priscilla was born the next year, so no girl addressee yet. John, the eldest, apparently no longer believes in FC and hasn't written to him. The story tells of yet another clumsy thing that happened to the North Polar Bear, giving a reason to show the inside of Father Christmas' house, centering on the great staircase.

JRRT does enjoy his puns! This time he plays with the homophones "frieze" and "freeze". Once again the presents are hinted at, with the request to handle them carefully, as they are very good.

There is a second note, dated "Boxing Day" (December 26, for those who aren't familiar with that holiday). In it, FC offers apologies for the lateness of the letter (which was dated December 20th), due to the NPB, who forgot to post it. I wonder if JRRT simply hadn't gotten around to writing earlier and thought of this fictional excuse?

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

There is a second note, dated "Boxing Day" (December 26, for those who aren't familiar with that holiday). In it, FC offers apologies for the lateness of the letter (which was dated December 20th), due to the NPB, who forgot to post it. I wonder if JRRT simply hadn't gotten around to writing earlier and thought of this fictional excuse?

Sounds possible. Or there might have been something else, something unfinished about the letter, the drawings, or maybe Tolkien just misplaced it and couldn't find it when he needed it :) The possibilities are nearly limitless :)

What I have noticed only here with this letter, is one thing related to the nice drawings of the stars and moons etc. framing the picture - as FC writes, he is the one who had painted them on the walls of the house as well - and that prompted the idea: if the FC is the one drawing those, is there any way his shaky handwriting would affect also the drawings?

I think normally, with painting (if we look at the rest of the pictures), it does not - and that is perhaps even explainable by the different technique - but I wonder if the somewhat shaky contures of the suns, moons etc. framing this picture is not the intentional attempt to put the idea of "shaky handwriting" also into "shaky drawing", if you get what I mean.

For that matter: as for painting the interior of the house this time, do you think it was not only FC's idea, but also Tolkien's idea to change the setting for once for some "outside" reason - running out of ideas, perhaps? - and paint something different for a change?

[Aganzir]

I wonder if JRRT simply hadn't gotten around to writing earlier and thought of this fictional excuse?
That's cute. :D

I think normally, with painting (if we look at the rest of the pictures), it does not - and that is perhaps even explainable by the different technique - but I wonder if the somewhat shaky contures of the suns, moons etc. framing this picture is not the intentional attempt to put the idea of "shaky handwriting" also into "shaky drawing", if you get what I mean.
I'm pretty sure you're right. Drawing simple symbols such as suns, moons and stars etc. can be awfully boring: they're not difficult and you know how to do them, so you don't have to concentrate on getting them right. Instead you can think of ways to make them more interesting, not only to the viewer but also to you, so you probably end up painting them so that they support the picture and the characters it relates to. I bet they would look different if they were framing a picture of Galadriel, or Tom Bombadil, or Bilbo, or Tolkien's self-portrait - you name it.

I haven't read the Father Christmas Letters in ages and I don't even have a copy of it so I didn't remember how fantastic the pictures are. I absolutely love this one, it shows a mastery of perspective and colour. The staircase must have taken ages to paint even if he had a model.