Summary: Father Christmas Letters is an edited version of a series of letters that Tolkien wrote to his young children in the run-up to Christmas, for an impressive number of years (1920 to 1943). It is an elaborate take on the tradition that Father Christmas is real and receives children’s letters. Tolkien writes his answers in the name, voice, and hand of Father Christmas, and later also adds contributions by FC’s chief friends and helpers to the correspondence, North Polar Bear and the elf Ilbereth. This elaborate game of make-believe keeps growing more complex over the years, gradually building up a story ‘verse of Father Christmas’s life and adventures at the North Pole. The edited originals are real hand-written letters received by the children, with envelopes, hand-drawn illustrations, and hand-drawn stamps. The letters also remain responses to actual messages from the children, although their letters are not included.

Why should I check out this canon? Many reasons! Father Christmas and his growing number of friends are charming and fun, and their adventures get increasingly elaborate and exciting. There is a peppering of Tolkienian jokes. The artwork and calligraphy are wonderful (they also get increasingly colourful and complex). If you are looking for insight into Tolkien’s mind, while he was writing The Hobbit and The Lord of Rings, there are all sorts of tantalizing links to the Legendarium and related bits of lore (which of course just are asking for even more fic crossover to happen!) If you are interested in Tolkien’s conlangs (and his linguistic interest in Finnish and in writing systems), there are bits of that, too! If you are looking for insight into the experiences of Tolkien and his children, there are all sorts of touching and heart-warming hints and clues. There are bits of light verse, too, if you like Tolkien’s poetry.

Where can I get this? There are multiple editions, often as hardcover, and the book has been translated into many languages. The book should be relatively easy to get in local libraries or second-hand. Something to be watched out for are the two main editions under different titles: “The Father Christmas Letters” is the original selection made by Baillie Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien’s wife, in 1976, especially with young readers in mind. “Letters from Father Christmas” is a more comprehensive selection published in 1999 and is especially aimed at Tolkien fans. There is an audiobook version available on Audible and some readings from the work on YouTube. Electronic versions are not so easily accessible, although the Internet Archive has copies borrowable by readers with disabilities. Selections from the artwork can be found online and in books on Tolkien’s art.

What fanworks already exist? The AO3 tag has 23 works, most of them rated General or Teens and categorized as Gen. Among them, there is quite a high number of crossovers, many of them with other Tolkien works, but also with a handful of non-Tolkien canons. As you would expect, with such a canon, some of the fic is epistolary or includes letters! Perhaps partly because the canon includes so much original artwork, there is not a great deal of fanart, but you can find some on Tumblr at the links below:

https://www.tumblr.com/cycas/189739284354/merry-christmasinspired-by-letters-from-father?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/cycas/187421841269/the-elf-who-saved-christmas-story-art-special?source=share

Summary: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are gathered for a Christmas feast when a strange guest arrives. A massive green man carrying an ax rides his horse out of the bitter winter knight and challenges those gathered to a game. The idea is simple: He will bare his neck and allow one person a single stroke with his ax with the understanding that, in one year's time, he is permitted to return the favor.

Arthur's young nephew Gawain rises to the challenge. He strikes the head from the green man … who then rises, resets his head on his shoulders, and rides off—after reminding Gawain of their date a year hence.

The tale follows Gawain through his adventure to find the Green Knight, where he will be challenged by the forbidding winter, tempted by love, and of course desperate to find a way to win the game and save his own life.

Why Should I Check Out This Canon? Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the masterpieces of Middle English literature. For the literary-minded among you, the poem retains some of the vestiges of early English language, meter, and style during a historical period where English language and literature were increasingly influenced by French such that the poem is like a portal into a lost world. For the rest of you, the poem includes adventure, sex, and at least one beheading with a giant green ax.

Where Can I Get This? Tolkien translated Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from Middle English and it is available in the slim volume Sir Gawain and the Green Knight alongside his translations of the Middle English poems Pearl and Sir Orfeo. The poem contains 101 stanzas and is not a long read. What Fanworks Already Exist? As of this writing, there are 136 fanworks on AO3 tagged with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The #gawain and the green knight tag on Tumblr contains fanworks as well. Be aware that they are not necessarily based on Tolkien's translation; there are many translations available and a recent feature-length film based on the poem.