Middle Earth Merrymaking: A Long Expected Party

When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton… A notice appeared on the gate at Bag End: no admittance except on party business.

Bilbo’s 111th birthday party. The Fellowship of the Ring’s very first chapter begins with the spectacular birthday bash. And it’s hard to forget the images of Bilbo’s massive white birthday cake drowning in flowers and candles, or scores of hobbits dancing to lively flute music from Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.

The birthdate of Bilbo Baggins (and Frodo Baggins!) lands on September 22nd. It’s such an important date in the Tolkien-verse that in 1978, the American Tolkien Society proclaimed that day as “Hobbit Day.” Every year when that date rolls around fans celebrate with everything from movie marathons to extravagant, Bilbo-esque parties!

My celebrations over the years have included making a hobbit themed recipes with my nieces and nephews, watching the The Hobbit trilogy, enjoying a flower-laden carrot cake with my best friend, and so on…always more simple celebrations. I never had the courage to have a full-blown party, but I’ve been inspired by Tea with Tolkien’s parties throughout the years.

This year, an opportunity finally presented itself and I threw a Hobbit Day party for my boss, who is 100% a hobbit at heart. It was especially fun because I had help from some lovely coworkers and we had a wonderful time baking while watching The Fellowship of the Ring. Leave it to Lord of the Rings to bring people together.

Okay, now onto the party!

I tried to concentrate decor inspired by the different Middle Earth races in their own areas in order to create mini “realms.”

Erebor and Mirkwood found their respective places as centerpieces on the eating tables, while the food tables represented the Shire.

My lovely fellow coworkers all brought a dish to pass giving us a full meal that consisted of soup, cheeses, crackers, bread, fruits, veggies, and salads–all hearty, hobbit-approved foods. I provided tea sandwiches, Bilbo’s candy “acorns,” and some Middle Earth inspired beverages.

Kaitlyn at Tea with Tolkien always has creative ideas for Middle Earth names for her food, so I decided to take a page from her book and make some of my own!

“Frodo’s Tea Sandwiches” were some delicious autumn-inspired sandwiches that included turkey/apple/cream cheese, ham/swiss/apple butter/mustard, and then the classic cucumber/cream cheese. The recipes for these can all be found in my Hobbit Day Recipes post.

My beverages were some autumn-inspired drinks that served as our “Ent Draught” and “Miruvor (Elven cordial)”. Since Ent Draught is meant to be an earthy, refreshing drink I found a recipe with flavors of white grape and lemon, with the added refreshment of some ginger ale. Miruvor is a sweet cordial the Elves and Valar drink that is said to have pleasant fragrance and I thought an autumn harvest punch recipe with some rosemary was a good fit.

While lembas may not be a hobbit-esque food, it’s definitely a Middle Earth must. We had some gluten-free friends so we made a hearty, superfood version that was gluten-free and vegan and featured healthy ingredients like chia seed, bananas and coconut oil.

The scene in the Battle of the Five Armies where Bilbo shows Thorin the acorn he wants to bring back and plant in the Shire will always be one of my favorites and so I couldn’t resist when I saw the idea to make candy “acorns.” And, of course, it’s not a hobbit meal without a dish with “po-tay-toes,” in honor of Samwise.

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The desserts were definitely the highlight of the party. I was blessed that one of my coworkers, Aubrie, has her own baking business and makes BEAUTIFUL and also delicious desserts.

She made this beautiful, minimal cake and hand-piped Tengwar (Elvish writing) on it! She also made double chocolate sugar cookies which were heavenly and looked so so cute! She even let me and my other coworker, Elena, help decorate some of them while we all watched The Fellowship.

(I helped with the detail work on the little hobbit doors !!!)

You can find other examples of Aubrie’s amazing baking work on her website: The Gluten Free Girlfriend.

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Now onto more of the decor and activities!

I tried to include as many small details as possible, including displaying some of the prettiest editions of Tolkien’s books and playing some of the best soundtrack scores from Peter Jackson’s films. (The playlist also may have included “They’re Taking the Hobbits to Isengard” ………….)

Of course, it’s not a hobbit party without flower crowns, so I had baskets of fresh flowers, wire, and flower tape ready for those who wanted to look especially hobbit-like.

I also wanted to have a cute place for photos and so I made a “Lothlórien” backdrop from a white sheet, greenery, flowers, and a giant stick I found in the woods behind my house. It simply required tying the flowers and greenery to some string and then tying the string to the stick! Then we threw the white sheet over a backdrop stand and tied the stick to each end.

I wore my very best hobbit garb (from Roolee), as well as my tiny acorn necklace in honor of Bilbo.

My coworkers, Aubrie and Elena, indulged me by letting me take pictures of them in their incredible costumes.

Just a couple of hobbits, an elf and the One Ring having a good time.

All-in-all the party was a success, much of which is due to the help and support of my coworkers. My boss (in above photo in the pink dress) was beyond thrilled and seeing her hobbit-heart happy made it all even more magical.

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I sincerely hope this inspires you to have your own Hobbit Day party someday or enjoy September 22nd just a little bit more the next time it rolls around…

Thanks for reading!

Remember: adventure first, breakfast second

-Marissa

(( If you’re curious about my boss and the business she runs, check out the official website: Once Upon a Dream Performances ))