In short: A hobbit hole at home mostly needs warm light, lots of blankets and good food. Hobbits eat up to seven meals a day and a Lord of the Rings marathon with the Extended Editions takes around twelve hours. Here are ideas for lighting, a snug corner, hobbit meals, movie night and your Middle-earth Christmas tree.
It is dark by five, the rain is drumming on the window and all you really want is this: feet up, tea in hand, blanket up to your chin. Congratulations, you have just described the life plan of a hobbit.
Hardly anyone does cosy as well as the folk of the Shire. Tolkien makes it clear in the very first lines of The Hobbit: a hobbit hole is not a nasty, wet hole, a hobbit hole means comfort. That is exactly where I want to take you. I will show you how to build your own hobbit hole this autumn and winter with Lord of the Rings decor, hobbit meals and a marathon on the sofa. And if you are already thinking about Christmas, you will find ideas for a Middle-earth Christmas tree and the right gifts further down.
Light for your hobbit hole: warm as Bag End
There is no ceiling floodlight in Bag End. It gets cosy with lots of small light sources at eye level that glow warmly instead of glaring. The centrepiece is the Hobbit Hole Tealight Holder, a little Shire diorama with a tealight inside. Big light off and Hobbiton glows on your shelf.
For your reading corner, the foldable Lord of the Rings lamp with the map of Middle-earth is worth it. Light and map in one, very handy when the question comes up mid-chapter how far it actually is from Hobbiton to Rivendell. On the wall, the Argonath Light-Up Wall Art looks great. From now on, the two kings of the Anduin keep watch over your sofa.
Cosiness also goes through the nose. A few drops of apple or cinnamon oil in the One Ring Aroma Lamp and it smells like autumn in the Shire. If you like things a bit more dramatic, add the Eye of Sauron Table Lamp. It sees everything. Including who takes the last biscuit.
Blankets, cushions and socks: Middle-earth to snuggle into
Hobbits go barefoot. I do not, at least not in November. So fabric goes in all the right places, and plenty of it. The most important ingredient for any sofa evening is a good Lord of the Rings blanket, and the Middle-earth Map Fleece Blanket puts all of Middle-earth in your lap. Mordor is on it too, of course, but a safe distance from your feet.
It gets even softer with the teddy fleece version. And if you simply cannot give up the One Ring, snuggle into the One Ring Fleece Blanket.
A proper sofa fort is part of it too. The Elven Cushion, the Middle-earth Cushion and the White Tree of Gondor Cushion look best together, and hobbits never do things by halves anyway. For warm feet there is the Middle-earth Socks 3-Pack. It comes in a gift box, in case you want to give it away. You will not.
All that is missing is the jumper. The One Ring Knitted Jumper and the Tree of Gondor Knitted Jumper keep you warm from the first autumn storm to the last snow, whether your heart beats for Mordor or Minas Tirith.
Hobbit meals: from second breakfast to supper
In the first film Pippin casually lists seven hobbit meals a day: breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. In winter I am with him. You do not need a feast for it, a big wooden board full of small bites is plenty.
Top of the list are mushrooms from the pan, with butter and fresh herbs. As a youngster Frodo still had to climb over Farmer Maggot's fence for them, you just go to the market. Next to them goes a seed cake, because that is what one of the dwarves asks for when the whole company turns up uninvited at Bilbo's door. Tastes good even without thirteen dwarves.
Bread, strong cheese and apples complete the board. To drink there is apple juice or a beer like at the Green Dragon. Or tea. A lot of tea.
For that you need the right Lord of the Rings mug, of course. The Middle-earth Mug is only available from us, the Elven Mug is for everyone who sees themselves more in Rivendell than in the Shire, and the Gimli Mug definitely holds more than an elven goblet. One more tip for hot drinks: Gandalf already knew that some rings only reveal what they are in the heat. The Sauron's Ring Heat-Change Mug agrees.
Lord of the Rings marathon at home: films, puzzles and reading aloud
Winter is the only season in which a Lord of the Rings marathon with the Extended Editions sounds reasonable. The three films take around twelve hours together, credits included. The most relaxed way is to spread them over a weekend: Friday The Fellowship of the Ring, Saturday The Two Towers, Sunday The Return of the King. With seven meals a day the maths works out perfectly.
If you watch the Hobbit films first, you need a long weekend. And if you really want to start at the very beginning, go with The War of the Rohirrim, set 183 years before The Fellowship. Which order is right for you, I reveal further down in the FAQ.
Between films, your brain can take a break too. The Map of Middle-earth Puzzle is made for exactly that. Mordor comes last, that is tradition. If you would rather read, pick up The Hobbit: Tolkien originally told the story to his own children. Read aloud, with a funny voice for Gollum, it still works best today. Your favourite quotes go into the Middle-earth Map Notebook.
And when guests come over, put the Speak Friend & Enter Doormat in front of the door. Then everyone knows straight away where the cosy evening is happening, and the password is conveniently printed right on it.
Lord of the Rings Christmas: decorations, Advent calendars and gifts
There is no Christmas in Middle-earth itself. But the Shire calendar has two holidays in the middle of winter around the turn of the year, and according to Tolkien's timeline the Fellowship sets out from Rivendell on 25 December of all days. How to turn that into twelve nerdy nights is in my article The Twelve Nights for Nerds. Tolkien also wrote letters to his children for more than twenty years, as Father Christmas. The man knew how to do Advent.
For your Middle-earth Christmas tree, the Middle-earth Symbols Christmas Baubles or the Middle-earth Christmas Baubles are a lovely starter set. Add the Fellowship as hanging ornaments, for example Gandalf and Gimli. If you would rather keep an eye on the Dark Lord, hang up the Sauron Helmet too.
In the Christmas kitchen, the Lord of the Rings Cookie Cutters help out. My tip: wrap simple butter biscuits in leaves and call them lembas. One is enough for a whole day's march, two for movie night.
And if you are still looking for Lord of the Rings gifts: the Treebeard Snow Globe is for everyone who likes to take things slowly, the Sauron Snow Globe for everyone else. The Middle-earth Socks Advent Calendar keeps your feet warm until Christmas Eve, and if you prefer to fill it yourself, take the Lord of the Rings DIY Advent Calendar. The One Ring To Rule Them All Knitted Jumper is then one jumper to warm them all. Everything else for the holidays is in our Lord of the Rings Christmas world.
Frequently asked questions about a cosy Middle-earth winter
What is a hobbit hole?
A hobbit hole is the home of the hobbits in the Shire, dug into a hill, with a round door and round windows. Tolkien explicitly says it is not a nasty, wet hole but the very picture of comfort. The best known is Bag End, home of Bilbo and later Frodo Baggins.
In what order should you watch the Lord of the Rings films?
In story order, you start with The War of the Rohirrim, set 183 years before the trilogy. Then come the three Hobbit films and finally the three Lord of the Rings films. If you are visiting Middle-earth for the first time, it is nice to go in release order and start with The Fellowship of the Ring.
How many meals do hobbits eat a day?
In the book Tolkien writes of six meals a day, when they could get them. In the first film Pippin counts seven, from breakfast and second breakfast all the way to supper.
How long is a Lord of the Rings marathon with the Extended Editions?
The three Extended Editions add up to around twelve hours, credits included. The longest is The Return of the King at over four hours. Spread over three evenings, that makes a very cosy weekend.
Can you stay overnight in a real hobbit hole?
Yes, there are now holiday rentals and glamping sites in hobbit style, in Germany too. For all other evenings, a tealight, a blanket and a pot of tea are enough to turn your living room into a hobbit hole.
Do hobbits celebrate Christmas?
Not the way we know it. But the Shire calendar has two holidays in midwinter, around the turn of the year. A good reason to get properly cosy anyway, for example with my Twelve Nights for Nerds.
And now: put the kettle on
Kettle on, blanket out, feet up. Adventures can wait, at least until after dinner. And after second dinner anyway.
More for your hobbit hole is waiting in our Lord of the Rings merch.
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