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LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS

1. Match the following words to their meanings:

a) endearing - an example from a group or a collection of


objects
b) sweeping - to destroy or damage something
c) hijinks - troublesome, having fun making things that
you’re not supposed to do
d) to dote on - lovely, making you feel affection
e) sample - mischief and merrymaking that is often
disruptive, but not too serious, like pranks or gag
gifts
f) mischievous - to love someone very much, to adore them
g) awful - very broad, extensive, vast
h) to spoil - terrible, very bad

2. Read the following article about the “Letters From Father


Christmas” by J. R. R. Tolkien. Then answer the questions below.

Read J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Letter From Father Christmas” To


His Young Children
by Ilia Blinderman

J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for the


sweeping fantasy landscapes of Lord of
The Rings and The Hobbit. Apart from
being a celebrated author, the Oxford
University professor of Anglo-Saxon was
also a devoted father who doted on his
children.

In 1920, a few short years after Tolkien


returned from World War I, he began an
endearing family Christmas tradition that
would continue for the next 23 years. After the birth of his firstborn son, John, Tolkien
began to write his four children letters from Father Christmas. These North Poles tales
chiefly concern Father Christmas’ struggles against the north’s bat-riding goblins, as
well as the mischievous hijinks of his helper, North Polar Bear. An adept illustrator
whose original drawings accompanied many of his writings (see his book cover designs
for Lord of the Rings), Tolkien included with many of his Christmas letters a set of
charming pictures.
The many letters were eventually collected in a beautiful volume called Letters From
Father Christmas. Thanks to the good work of Letters of Note, we bring to you a
sample letter from 1925:

Cliff House

Top of the World

Near the North Pole

Xmas 1925

My dear boys,

I am dreadfully busy this year —


it makes my hand more shaky
than ever when I think of it —
and not very rich. In fact, awful
things have been happening, and
some of the presents have got
spoilt and I haven't got the
North Polar Bear to help me
and I have had to move house
just before Christmas, so you
can imagine what a state
everything is in, and you will see
why I have a new address, and
why I can only write one letter
between you both. It all
happened like this: one very
windy day last November my
hood blew off and went and
stuck on the top of the North Pole. I told him not to, but the N.P.Bear climbed up to the
thin top to get it down — and he did. The pole broke in the middle and fell on the roof of
my house, and the N.P.Bear fell through the hole it made into the dining room with my
hood over his nose, and all the snow fell off the roof into the house and melted and put
out all the fires and ran down into the cellars where I was collecting this year's
presents, and the N.P.Bear's leg got broken. He is well again now, but I was so cross
with him that he says he won't try to help me again. I expect his temper is hurt, and will
be mended by next Christmas. I send you a picture of the accident, and of my new house
on the cliffs above the N.P. (with beautiful cellars in the cliffs). If John can't read my
old shaky writing (1925 years old) he must get his father to. When is Michael going to
learn to read, and write his own letters to me? Lots of love to you both and Christopher,
whose name is rather like mine.

That's all. Goodbye.

Father Christmas
- Who are the main characters in the letters from Father Christmas?

- Who illustrated the letters?

- Why had Father Christmas changed his address on Christmas 1925?

- How did the North Polar Bear break his leg?

- Why did some of the presents in the cellars get spoilt?

- Where are the new cellars?

- What are the names of the Tolkien children? How old do you think they
were?

3. Write an answer to Father Christmas’s letter to tell


him about the Christmas traditions in your town or
country. (If you don’t celebrate Christmas, you can
talk about another holiday or tradition you enjoy.)
This article was taken from

http://www.openculture.com/2013/12/read-j-r-r-tolkiens-letter-from-father-christmas-to-his-
young-children.html

and its author is Ilia Blinderman.

The Letters from Father Christmas were written by J. R. R. Tolkien between 1920 and
1943.

ANSWER KEY

i) endearing - lovely, making you feel affection


j) sweeping - very broad, extensive, vast
k) hijinks - mischief and merrymaking that is often
disruptive, but not too serious, like pranks or gag
gifts
l) to dote on - to love someone very much, to adore them
m) sample - an example from a group or a collection of
objects
n) mischievous - troublesome, having fun making things that
you’re not supposed to do
o) awful - terrible, very bad
p) to spoil - to destroy or damage something

- Father Christmas and the North Polar Bear.


- Tolkien himself made the illustrations.
- He had had to move to another house because of the damage the Polar Bear
caused to his roof.
- The North Polar Bear fell into the house through the roof when he climbed to
the top of the North Pole to get Father Christmas’s hood and the Pole broke.
- Because the snow from the roof fell into the house, melted and ran down to the
cellars, where it spoilt the presents.
- The new cellars are in the cliffs below the new house.
- The Tolkien children were John, Michael and Christopher. They must have
been very young children, because two of them couldn’t read yet.

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