Learning Objective

By the end of the lesson you will…

Understand how to adapt your language for a specific audience

Be able to create a letter from Father Christmas

Although Tolkien is famous for writing Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, he also wrote for a more

personal audience…

Every year, whilst his children were young, he wrote a letter

from Santa describing his adventures in the North Pole.

An original letter can be

seen opposite

Christmas Letter, 1925

Cliff House,Top of the World,

Near the North Pole,Christmas 1925

My dear boys,

I am dreadfully busy this year – it makes my hands more shaky than ever when I think of it –in fact, awful things have been happening! Some of the presents got spoilt, and I haven't got the North Pole bear to help me. I have had to move house just before Christmas, so you can imagine what a state everything is in, and why I can only write one letter between you both.

It all happened like this: one very windy day last November my hood blew off and went and got stuck on the top of the North Pole! I told him not to go, but the North Pole Bear climbed up to the thin top to get it down. The pole broke in the middle and fell on the roof of my house, and the North Pole bear fell through the hole it made. His leg was broken and the presents were damaged!

He is well again now, but I was so cross with him that he says he won’t try to help me again – I expect his temper is hurt, and will be mended by next Christmas.

I send you a picture of the accident and of my new house on the cliffs above the North Pole (with the beautiful cellars in the cliffs).

Lots of love to you both,

Father Christmas

xxx

Exploring the Letter

1. What does it mean to adapt your language for an audience? 2. Who is Tolkien’s audience? How does he adapt his language?

Your Task

Write a Christmas letter from Santa to someone younger than you in your family.

Describe Father Christmas’ life in the North Pole and his adventures getting ready for Christmas.

Adapt your language to suit a young audience.

Use the correct letter format and be sure you leave a boarder

so that you can decorate the letter!

The Address

Cliff House,Top of the World,

Near the North Pole,Christmas 2013

Let’s hear your letters