Friday Reads: Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien

I've been trying to figure out a way to help my girlies see that this is a special time of year.  Earlier in the week, we decorated the house (well - kinda.  If you count it as decorating without a tree and everything out of reach of 2.5 year olds).   Today I went in search of my holiday books and came across JRR Tolkien's "Letters from Father Christmas" - my FAVOURITE holiday read.

In case you aren't familiar with it - when his children were very small, he began a tradition of writing letters to them from Santa Claus.   There were beautiful drawings and tales of North Pole adventures.   I've been a long time fan of Lord of the Rings (so much so that a few years ago we had Middle Earth Holiday Celebration) and finding this book helps to bring the magic of the holidays into our non-religious home.

When I was pregnant, I first heard of this book.  The stories within are nowhere near as beautiful as the story of what he did for his kids by writing them these amazing letters.  At a time in my life when I am trying so hard to create traditions for my family so we can have a special holiday on our own terms, it is nice to have a bit of magic like this that is a truly beautiful tradition that Tolkien gave to his children.

This year, my kids might actually be old enough to enjoy some of the letters.

If you haven't read it...go buy yourself a copy.  Any family who celebrates the tradition of Santa Claus  should have a copy.