The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 14

We travel to Middle Earth to see how the Hobbits decorate their holiday trees. 

First up is this acrylic ornament available at Wal-Mart of all places. It pays tribute to the 5 books author JRR Tolkien wrote about the chronicles of Middle Earth- The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Silmarillion. 

From Hallmark, there really aren't that many ornaments to choose from. But that's okay as I already had the one I wanted to pick in my head prior to this post. From just this year, I selected this resin ornament of Gollum, the Hobbit-like creature that kinda started all this mess. True, I would have liked it if Gollum was holding the One Ring. But this is a really awesome representation of Andy Serkis' amazing take on the character from the Peter Jackson film series. 

On the handmade unlicensed front, I selected 2 ornaments. First up is the pair of wooden ornaments that double as gift tags. From Etsy, these engraved ornaments kinda remind me of those old timey travel posters. Only instead of going to Aruba and Egypt, places like the West Gate of Moria and Lothlorien are advertised.

Also found on Etsy was this brilliant ornament that pays homage to the great Sir Ian McKellen's role of Gandalf. Based on Gandalf's epic battle with the Balrog, instead of saying to the demon 'You Shall Not Pass!', the wizard proclaims to all that when it comes to the gifts under the tree- YOU SHALL NOT PEEK!

And now on to the DIY ornament, which I am having a lot of fun researching in the posts. A Hobbit Hole is where characters such as Frodo Baggins and his friend Sam live. To create a festive Hobbit Hole ornament, here's what you do:

1. Take a round flat wooden disc craft store ornament and paint it green. 
2. Next, hot glue a small vine wreath that the painted disc will fit inside.
3. Then hot glue some moss, holly, or mistletoe (which I believe is mentioned in one of the books) and some small flowers onto the wreath.
4. Hot glue a round metal bead in the middle of the disc to represent the door knob, adore with a twine string as a place holder and you've made your own LOTR ornament!

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017

The actor in make-up as the elf, Leoglas.

   1977 must be a great year for people being 40 and looking nothing like their age. Lord of the Rings actor Orlando Bloom turns the big 4-0 today. I actually had to triple check this stat as I would swear he wasn't older than 30. And yes, that assumption is based on real looks, not Bloom when he's made up as the elf, Legolas.
    

Bloom in 2000.

     I had to mention this birthday not because I am a huge fan, though my wife and I love the Lord of the Rings (2 of our children and one of our kitties are named after LOTR characters.) No, in this case, Bloom and I share a secret: we're vampires.   

Bloom in 2016. See, I told ya- vampire!

    Alright, I kid about this... but honestly haven't aged since I was 15. Okay, a stray grey hair or two. But if you took a photo of me in 1992, another in 1996, 2007, and today, people couldn't tell which is the latest picture.
     
    What do you expect from someone who still gets carded at G-rated movies...

    Happy Birthday, Orlando!  May neither of us ever truly age!