Which Tolkien work was originally written for his children as letters from Father Christmas?

The Father Christmas Letters was Tolkien’s collection of letters written for his children as if sent by Father Christmas.

From 1920 onward, Tolkien created annual letters and drawings for his children. The letters described life at the North Pole, mishaps involving Father Christmas, and adventures featuring characters such as the North Polar Bear. They were part of a private family tradition rather than a project initially intended for commercial publication.

The letters were collected and published after Tolkien’s death, with the first book edition appearing in 1976. Its contents show Tolkien combining playful storytelling, invented voices, maps, and illustrations for a domestic audience.

The work is distinct from his Middle-earth novels, although it demonstrates the same delight in languages, histories, and layered fictional documents. Readers sometimes confuse it with The Father Christmas Letters’ individual annual messages or with Tolkien’s other short children’s books, but the collection’s canonical title is The Father Christmas Letters.