Tolkien's holiday tradition

Letters from Father Christmas was recently translated into Chinese. The book contains letters that Tolkien wrote to his children every year between 1920 and 1943. [Photo/China Daily]

The stories of Father Christmas are full of interesting details. For example, Tolkien - who was a professor of English philology and learned dozens of languages - invents a new language, Arktic, which is spoken by Polar Bear. The elves also speak an odd language of elves, and the goblins use a hieroglyphic alphabet.

Besides being a creative storyteller, Tolkien also proves to be a dedicated painter. He enclosed the letters with lovely and vivid illustrations. His drawings are full of color, rich in details and filled with imagination.

Tolkien didn't publish the letters; they were first released posthumously on Sept 2, 1976, on the third anniversary of his death.

Christine Huang, 8, who stars in the reality TV show, Dad! Where Are We Going?, and her close friend Linda Liu, 12, worked on the Chinese edition with the help of Christine's father, Huang Lei, also a famous Chinese actor.

"The girls used ... their childish language to translate the letters," says Huang Lei. "I am just a porter of their innocent words."

"To communicate with children through words and to leave these words as the best gifts to them is the happiest and worthiest thing in the world," Huang writes in the afterword of the book.