Between 1920 and 1943, Tolkien wrote these letters to his children as Father Christmas. Because they were published posthumously and most likely never intended to be published at all, it can feel strange to give a star rating to such a personal glimpse into Tolkien's family life. At the same time, however, they are so well thought out and enjoyable that you can easily imagine the joy the children had when they received a beautifully written letter in an envelope.

There are so many adventures and fun incidents, whether it's the North Polar Bear falling asleep in the bathtub and flooding a gift room or fights with nasty little goblins, and the illustrations capture the magic of the north perfectly. Reading the Finnish translation kind of loses the effect of the Finnish names Tolkien uses, but as a whole, these letters are the kind of magic I wish every child had in their lives.

It's also worth noting that although Tolkien mentions gifts, there's no sign of the frantic commercialism that is currently the absolute worst aspect of Christmas. Instead, he reminds his children that others might be worse off.