Belated Birthday Congrats

Hey, folks--On a serious note, I woke up this morning and realized that I’d blown right past an important birthday!

I can hardly believe that nobody in this fine group mentioned it! Bilbo & Frodo Baggins’ birthday is usually celebrated on Sept 22, though there is some discussion regarding the actual date. But the American Tolkien Society has kindly designated the whole week that includes Sept 22 as Tolkien Week, so it’s not too late to celebrate! (Of course, it’s never too late to celebrate. Anything.)

From Wikipedia: The American Tolkien Society first proclaimed Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week in 1978, and defines them as this: "Tolkien Week is observed as the calendar week containing September 22, which is always observed as Hobbit Day", but acknowledges that Hobbit Day pre-dates their designation. Due to the discrepancies between the Shire Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar there is some debate for when to celebrate Hobbit Day. Many celebrate on September 22 of the Gregorian Calendar but other deep students of Tolkien, however, say that the dates mentioned in the narrative refer to the Shire Calendar, which has significant divergences from the Gregorian. More accurately, Tolkien said that the Shire Calendar is in advance by some 10 days (depending on the month) of the Gregorian Calendar. According to calculations, a suggested corresponding date is September 14."

And Bilbo’s was surely the best birthday speech ever! “First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all, and that eleventy-one years is too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits.” Tremendous outburst of approval. “I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” This was unexpected and rather difficult. There was some scattered clapping, but most of them were trying to work it out and see if it came to a compliment.”

Anyway, in a world where we often take idiocy seriously and the truly serious with far too little mirth, may I say, Long live Bilbo and Frodo, and God bless J. R. R. Tolkien! It’s a better world because a man of faith like Tolkien lived, breathed, wrote, and created an amazingly fine world filled with hobbits! We’d all be better off if we spent more time with them!