Father Christmas Letters: 1928

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

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?