Episode 4: Ways to be more of a Hobbit at Heart in the new year (plus, a giveaway!)

Tea with Tolkien

A few excerpts from Concerning Hobbits

Hobbits “love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well-farmed countryside was their favorite haunt.”

“As for the Hobbits of the Shire, with whom these tales are concerned, in the days of their peace and prosperity they were a merry folk. They dressed in bright colours, being notably fond of yellow and green…”

“Their faces were as a rule good-natured rather than beautiful, broad, bright-eyed, red-cheeked, with mouths apt to laughter, and to eating and drinking. And laugh they did, and eat, and drink, often and heartily, being fond of simple jests at all times, and of six meals a day (when they could get them). They were hospitable and delighted in parties, and in presents, which they gave away freely and eagerly accepted.”

“They were, if it came to it, difficult to daunt or to kill; and they were perhaps, so unwearyingly fond of good things not least because they could, when put to it, do without them, and could survive rough handling by grief, foe, or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well and looked no further than their bellies and their well-fed faces…”
“The Shire at this time had hardly any ‘government’. Families for the most part managed their own affairs. Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time. In other matters they were, as a rule, generous and not greedy, but contented and moderate, so that estates, farms, workshops, and small trades tended to remain unchanged for generations.”

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“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” - The Hobbit

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Ways to Be More of a Hobbit at Heart
in the New Year

• Spend more time outside

  • Next time it’s nice outside, grab a book and read a little

  • Go for a hike or walk along a trail

  • Have a picnic!

• Take some breaks from the internet

• Consider starting a garden, it can be small if you’re just starting out

• Less fast food, more home cooking

  • The Shire Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel

• Be intentional about being hospitable, make a point of inviting others into your home

• Give gifts as often and as generously as you are able

• Spend time in fellowship with others

• Host at least one party this year

• Maybe this year you’ll learn how to brew beer

• Maybe smoke a little pipe tobacco with friends

• Look for opportunities to humble yourself

• Let your Yes mean Yes and No mean No

  • Frodo didn’t accept the task of carrying the Ring halfheartedly, once he said yes he stayed committed as long as he could

• Become a better friend.

  • Everyone needs a Samwise. Be intentional about becoming a better friend to someone who needs one this year.

• Eat more Second Breakfast.

• Sit beside the fire and just think every so often, ponder things

• Read and write poetry

• Host a Hobbit Party! Every September 22 we host a party in celebration of Frodo and Bibo’s birthdays, you should too. I have tons of ideas here.

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Favorite Tweets (see the whole thread here)

Zegg Noggenour‏ @zgochenour: (go-ken-hour) The heart of the hobbit lifestyle is hospitality. One of my favorite hobbit practices is giving gifts on your birthday.

hannah 🎄‏ @hanmariams -staycations are good
-give yourself an afternoon break for tea
-learn how to garden or at least keep a plant alive from Trader Joe’s
-disappear from birthday parties in dramatic fashion

Robert the Nobody‏ @Robert_in_MN

-Be content with where you are but don't turn down a grand adventure if it's presented to you.
-Wear more bright colours
-Take time to contemplate, preferably with a pipe or tea
-Eat six small meals throughout the day
-Be proud of who you are and where you come from

Nick Senz‏ @NickSenz

Get to know and fall in love with your own local area: the woods, the fields, little rivers. Like Sam, become an expert on every nook and cranny of your natural neighborhood. Attachment to place seems very hobbitish.

Jake The Great‏ @jakecmelik

Start with, "Hobbits are a representation of of how Tolkien saw Chesterton: Authentic, merry, with a pipe and pint."

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Links Mentioned

• The Shire Cookbook

• Lily’s Catholic Children’s Bible

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The Giveaway (A Blessed is She Planner!)

View this post on Instagram

(Giveaway! 🎉) This is the time of year where many (most? some? maybe?) of us are sitting down to plan for the new year, thinking about our hopes and goals for the days to come, and hopefully feeling at least slightly less hectic now that Christmas is finally here! 🌲 I’ve been using my @blessedisshe__ planner for the past two years and it’s been such a wonderful tool for helping stay somewhat on-task, for remembering important liturgical dates, and for basically just having one (beautiful) place to keep all of my plans and goals and to-do lists. I wanted to help one of you get a little more prepared for the new year by giving away one of these planners! 📚 To enter, make sure you’re following me @teawithtolkien, leave a comment about one of your goals for 2019, and tag two friends who might also love this planner! This giveaway is not sponsored (I purchased the planner with my own money to give away because I love you all and I love Blessed is She), and not affiliated with Instagram. This giveaway is open internationally as well! And I’ll close the entries at the end of the day on Jan. 3 and announce the winner on the 4th. 📚 For a bonus entry, share this giveaway in your insta story and tag me so I see it!

A post shared by Kaitlyn | Tea with Tolkien (@teawithtolkien) on Dec 26, 2018 at 11:51am PST

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