Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Christmas 1941: Faith and Fantasy at War

The days leading up to Christmas in 1941 effectively obliterated any sentimental notions about “peace on earth” and “good will toward men.” Not even Father Christmas could evade the nightmare enveloping the world.

On December 22, 1941, twelve-year-old Priscilla Tolkien received her annual letter from Father Christmas. J.R.R. Tolkien had begun writing and illustrating his “Father Christmas” letters to his children in the 1920s, when they were toddlers. The letters were usually filled with the escapades of the Polar Bear, the chief assistant to Father Christmas, whose comical adventures affected the annual Christmas stock.

About the Author

Joseph Loconte

Joseph Loconte is the director of The Rivendell Center in New York City and the author of The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933–1945. He serves as a senior fellow at the Sagamore Institute and as the C.S. Lewis Scholar for Public Life at Grove City College. He is at work on a documentary film about the impact of war on the lives of Tolkien and Lewis.

Featured Tags

The days leading up to Christmas in 1941 effectively obliterated any sentimental notions about “peace on earth” and “good will toward men.” Not even Father Christmas could evade the nightmare enveloping the world.

On December 22, 1941, twelve-year-old Priscilla Tolkien received her annual letter from Father Christmas. J.R.R. Tolkien had begun writing and illustrating his “Father Christmas” letters to his children in the 1920s, when they were toddlers. The letters were usually filled with the escapades of the Polar Bear, the chief assistant to Father Christmas, whose comical adventures affected the annual Christmas stock.

About the Author

Joseph Loconte

Joseph Loconte is the director of The Rivendell Center in New York City and the author of The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933–1945. He serves as a senior fellow at the Sagamore Institute and as the C.S. Lewis Scholar for Public Life at Grove City College. He is at work on a documentary film about the impact of war on the lives of Tolkien and Lewis.