December 24, 2019

Finally: it's Yule eve, and time for our very last Yule calendar surprise for this year. And like in the previous calendars, the very last surprise is the yule video Miss Lina puts together with the help of the Laurelin hobbit community. Shooting these videos is immense fun, and seeing the result is even more so. Now, here it is! Below, you can also read more about the background for the video, written by Miss Lina. You can view the full text and watch previous hobbit yule video greetings at Miss Lina's burrow.

Now, that's the hobbity yule calendar for this year! I hope you have enjoyed it. Feel free to add your comments and feedback below! A huge thanks to everyone who helped with he calendar – everyone who sent entries and shared the calendar to others! I wish you all a very happy, lovely, sweet, and above all hobbity yuletide!

The 2019 yule video

What stories to tell in the 2019 video?

The hobbit yule videos typically have two main vignettes, each based on a meetup where we shoot some video footage. A recurring issue every year is to figure out what kind of “story” to tell in these vignettes.

Lonely old hobbit

The yule videos are mostly merry affairs (although some hobbits grumble over the fact that far too many of them end with a bath in ice cold water). This year, I wanted to try something different, starting out with an old hobbit who for various unexplained reasons is lonely during the yuletide. Although, she absolutely would love some company.

Of course, this taps into the fact that yule isn’t a merry time with family and friends for everyone. Many spend the yuletide in solitude. And while some choose to do so deliberately, there are far too many who are absolutely longing to spend time with someone, to be noticed, to have someone to talk to… but cannot.

Thus, I made some initial scenes with the help of Almi, having her walk slowly around the homesteads, not being noticed by the other hobbits who showed up for the video shoot. Playing around a bit with speed and colours, this segment tries to convey a sense of sadness and longing, aided by the music. Eventually, we’re back to the usual merry hobbit party, where we realize every one of the lonely hobbit’s wishes for company, and then some. I’ll leave it to you to figure out whether the party is just a dream sequence for the lonely hobbit, or whether her dream actually came true. But of course, hobbits stick together, especially in the yuletide!

Ice fishing

For the second segment, we headed into the snow, or rather onto the ice. We went ice fishing! Although, the ice was thick and hard to crack…

The general idea was just to have a grand day out in the snow, where the hobbits try to chop a hole in the ice, through various actions and emotes. The instructions were really only: Go wild. And they did.

I hadn’t really figured on how to end this segment, though… after all, it isn’t possible to actually drill through the in-game ice. However, the river opens up a bit further downstream, so we could go there. Of course, then I got the old itch to send the hobbits yule bathing again, much to the dismay of those taking part. But how can you withstand the furious (furrious?) power of the pink furry snowbeast? Yep, yer can’t.
Credits

The end credits this year mostly consist of outtakes from the “lonely old hobbit” shoot, with added yule screenshots sent in by hobbits. And “Auld Lang Syne” is a grand way to end a hobbity yule video!

December 23, 2019

Yule is almost here! It's time to get yer Yule tree up and decorated, just like the lass does below in Piandao's picture which is also our 23rd Yule calendar surprise!

Some of us enjoy a lazy Yule: they like to nestle in a cosy armchair by the fireplace, reading a book and munching biscuits or pie. But some hobbits might be more lively and long for things to do. Luckily, the Winterhome is open throughout the festive season, so them might find things to do there. If you seek merry hobbity company, you can also take a look at the events posted in the Bramblebury Gazette (events for hobbit roleplayers on the Laurelin server). There are parties, wassailing, and snowball battles!

You might also remember the in-game riddle that was posted in this calendar on 2nd December. Some of you might already have tried to solve it. You still have time to solve it during the holidays and after Yule. But if you don't have a chance to solve the riddle, e.g. don't have a character on the Laurelin server, or just want to read the answer, you can read it here.

Thanks for reading the hobbity yule calendar this year! Tomorrow we reveal our last surprise: the hobbit yule video miss Lina has been working on.

Answer to the riddle published on 2nd December 2019

On December 2nd, 2019, I published an in-game riddle in this hobbity yule calendar, a riddle that could be solved on the Laurelin server. I have organized other riddle adventures in the Shire before (you can see my own website for more information about them), and this time, I wanted to give others a riddle that they could solve on their own. Here is the riddle:

First, go south, to the pool with leaves

Behind it, a giant stands on a hill
It has four wings, yet it can’t fly
Next to it, another giant bows deep
Pounce down the hill to a pouncer's den
Go inside to claim your prize

Once yer there, one more thing to solve

One last riddle to understand it all:

"If I have a lock on me, I might hold a treasure

But with no lock, I guard the thing that keeps you alive

What am I?"

Find me and you'll find the final answer. 

As you may have figured out, this riddle has something to do with the Shire homesteads (and they, of course, have different inhabitants on different servers). So that's why you "go south". Now, the "pool with leaves" might be tricky. Every Shire homestead has a pool with leaves in the middle. Which one is this then? Oh, wait.

That's it, the place is called Leafpool. Now, you should enter the homesteads and go beyond the pool in the middle of the homesteads. Then, you should look for a giant on a hill with four wings, yet it can't fly. Now, what could that be?

A windmill, of course! Now, next to it, there should be another giant that "bows deep".

It's the tree! (There's also a dwarf statue there, but I didn't add him to the riddle, as it belongs to another home and might disappear at some point).

Now, you should pounce down the hill to a pouncer's den. That sounds a bit peculiar, but let's take a look at the nearby burrows and see if there are any-- oh!

Well, that must be it. You might take a look at the yard decoration - there is a lilypad tub, a sandcastle, a strange pool, a yule tree and a well. Then, you hop inside...

... to this! It's a bath trap! At least fer yer feet, that is. Suddenly, you might remember another entry from the hobbity yule calendar: the one about the Yule bath tradition, written by Miss Almi, a former nanny who is eager to give hobbits their Yule baths. Oh dear. So this is what explains them pools and tubs outside in the yard...

But the riddle is not solved yet! Once inside, you should look for something that is the answer to the last riddle:

"If I have a lock on me, I might hold a treasure
But with no lock, I guard the thing that keeps you alive
What am I?"

The answer? A chest! And there's one in a small room. Let's open it!

Oh, there's a message...

Well, our suspicions are hereby confirmed. The one behind this riddle was indeed Miss Almi who wanted to give us a Yule bath. If you send her a letter, you might get somet else than a bath in return. Hopefully.

December 22, 2019

For our 22nd surprise, we have a yule song by Miss Lina! She wrote this two years ago, but it is still as sweet as ever. It is best hummed to the When a Child is Born, the version by Johnny Mathis. You can read her full post at her burrow.

 Picture by Miss Lina

In the starlit night

A little bird shivers in the cold
The frosty fog keeps him in its hold
When a chirping song makes him feel alright
Friends all around
in the starlit night

A long-lost sheep running through the field
No sign of home, now its fate is sealed
When a friendly bark comes from yonder height
Friends all around
in the starlit night

A little lass whimpers in her sleep
Her dreams are sad, darkness far too deep
When a warm embrace wakes her from the fright
Friends all around
in the starlit night

A gaffer rests thinking of his friends
Now all are gone, strength and vigour ends
But their memories shine forever bright
Friends all around
in the starlit night

The times are hard, wintertime is cruel
But up ahead wait the days of yule
All across the Shire, songs and candlelight
Friends all around
in the starlit night
‘cross the Shire, songs and candlelight
Friends all around
in the starlit night

So join our song in the winter cool
We’ll think of you in the days of yule
All across the Shire, songs and candlelight
Friends all around
in the starlit night

Johnny Mathis - When a Child Is Born

December 21, 2019

Yule is near, and so is the Green Dragon Friday Yule Party. This year, it will happen next week on December 27. The Yule party features pork and mulled wine (mulled swine?), yule entertainment and other grand fun. Even though most of the guests are in a festive mood, yer might still hear some grumbling from the back, where the older hobbits follow the festivities from a safe distance. Now, the yule party should offer entertainment for everyone, so that's why we made this GDF Yule Party Bingo for the elderly, and other friends of bingo (the game, not necessarily the Boffin).

Below, you can find several bingo sheets (click on them to make them large). Choose one of them and you are ready to go. Just cross a box when the event inside it happens around you. The one who gets a full row first (vertically, horizontally or diagonally) wins the game. Stay sharp, don't miss a thing!

December 20, 2019

Did yesterday's food video get you hungry? No worries! The 20th surprise of our calendar is a gingerbread muffin/cupcakes recipe. Them are so sweet and moist they don't even need any frosting on top. This recipe uses decilitres (1 dl = 0,1 litre).

Gingerbread muffins

75 g butter
1 ½ tbsp. gingerbread spice mix
3 dl wheat flour
1 1/2 dl sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
200 g crème fraîche
1 dl dark syrup 
 ½ dl cream

muffin cups 

Yield: 12 muffins, depending how big you want them

Preheat oven to 225 °C. Melt the butter and mix it with the gingerbread spice, and let it cool down. In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, vanilla sugar, baking soda) together. Add the sugar,
crème fraîche and dark syrup to the butter & spice and mix well together. Then add the flour to the mix and work it to an uniform dough. Place the dough into muffin cups and bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes.

You can dust these muffins with powdered sugar, or make any frosting you wish. Here, I just used colored whipped cream, as I am a bit lazy... I just want to eat these as fast as possible!

December 19, 2019

 

It's December 19th, and now we will finally reveal the very tasteful video featuring Yule food pictures sent by you! Last year, we did a similar video with Yule trees. This year, we do the same with yule food. Here it is: a short story with a very hobbity plot. Get ready to drool...

A short yule food story - by LOTRO players

Thanks everyone who sent pictures for the video: Lina, Miralith, Piandao and Hollyberye. You have earned your biscuits!

December 18, 2019

For our 18th Yule calendar surprise, we have some more lovely Yule pictures! These have been taken by Piandao. Looks like his hobbit friends like to play in snow!

Making a snowhobbit is hard work – better gather a cool company of friends for that!

Sometimes you feel as cool as a snowhobbit yourself!

And when yer all exhausted, you can still make snow wizards!

And marvel at the fireworks before going to bed!

December 17, 2019

Today, I'd like to entertain you with a merry Yule tune I wrote for our kinship band, the Brandy Badgers. They had Mike Oldfield's version of In Dulci Jubilo in their songpack, and I wanted to write Yule lyrics to it that would fit our wassailing events in Winterhome. This year, we will go wassailing on Sunday, December 29, on the Laurelin server. Join us if you want to dance to some Yule music and have fun the hobbity way! Oh, and bring berries!

Merry Berry Yule

Yule's time for badgering, Winterhome wassailing
Fillin' hearts with joy and cheer
All come dance and drink some beer
Music's streaming in the air
Badgers make it very clear:
Every Badger Yule is a merry berry Yule

Let us toot and bang the drum
Give you some hum de dum
Squeak and hop and strum along
Come and join our Yuleish song
Dance until your feet are done
Have grand Badger fun, because
Every songful Yule is a merry berry Yule

Join us, whether young or old
Sway until you feel no cold
See which drinks are being sold
Kegs and flasks are being rolled
Mulled wine may make you bold
Drink some more, lo and behold
Every carefree Yule is a merry berry Yule

It is time to munch and eat
Every day needs seven meals
Forget all dishwashing deeds
Enjoy tasty bread and cheese
Berries are what a badger needs
Join this special Yuletide feast
Every tummy full makes a merry berry Yule

We use funny instruments
Squealing gorns and pea shooters
Brandy drops from clarinets
Let's blow off spider webs
With untamed pipe quintets
The drummers give all their best
Every noisy Yule is a merry berry Yule!

Ooh...
A songful Yule is a merry berry Yule!
Ooh...
A tummy full makes a merry berry Yule!
Ooh...
A carefree Yule is a merry berry Yule!

Music is our gift for you
Can't escape the merry mood
Feel like you're a badger too
Say goodbye to solitude
Yule had never felt this good
It is widely understood that
Every Badger Yule is a merry berry Yule

Ooh...
This is our Yuletide song
Feel free to hum along
Music is the strongest bond
Between friends in all the world
Every Badger Yule is a merry berry Yule

Mike Oldfield - In Dulci Jubilo

December 16, 2019

Today, we have a short article that is not really Yule-related; it's more like a Yule present for all of you. At the end of the year, we might ponder on our past and the future, things we have accomplished and things we wish for. This might sometimes make you feel upset with your life. In the following article, I have summed up some advice that could cheer you up a little.

Small Bits of Hobbity Wisdom
by Pycella Woodberry


Life’s not always easy, not even for a hobbit. There are times when you feel upset, exhausted, or lost. The world around us is changing, and it feels like we are being pushed. Even though you are giving your best, the standards seem ever too high for you to reach. You feel like you’d like to escape from an invisible cage.

In the Great Smials library, there’s a book called “Small Bits of Hobbit Wisdom”. It might not solve everything for you, but it might get you feel better about yourself. Here are some tips I have picked out for you. They have helped me, so I hope some might work the same for you!


Being mediocre is just fine

“Mediocre” should mean something like “moderate”; something not too good, but not too bad either. However, if you say something is mediocre, it sounds pretty negative. Surely we might aim a bit higher, try to be the best in everything we do? Well, some of us indeed are wizards and accomplish things that others won’t. But most of us are just normal, “mediocre”. Yet if you always expect yourself to come top in everything, you will probably face much disappointment along the way. You might dream of being a famous artist. It’s quite okay to have dreams, of course. But better not let your happiness depend upon filling those dreams. You are enough as you are now.


Small things matter

This piece of advice is related to the previous one. As the new year starts, you might feel an urge to change. Maybe you want to eat healthier or keep your burrow cleaner. Feeling very motivated for a change, you might set those goals too high. It’s better to start small - one meal at a time. It’s easier to keep your burrow cleaner if you do just do 10 minutes of cleaning each day. That adds up to 70 minutes per week! So, small hobbit steps actually can take you quite far.

 Defeat them task lists - one hobbit step at a time!

No need to compare yourself to others

Let’s imagine that you are ploughing through some deep snow with others. Some of them seem to be faster than you – you can even see a pointy-eared tall feller walk on the snow with light steps! When you look at the easy progress of others, it makes you quite depressed. Yet you are looking the wrong way: you should turn around and look back. Look how far you have actually gone, all by yourself! Oh, and look, you are pulling a heavy sleigh behind you too. No wonder the others have it easier. So, remember this: you can only compare your progress to your own history, not to others. Only that truly matters for you.


Live in the moment

Sometimes you get lost in the daily routine. Time seems to fly and you can remember nothing of the past week. You might think: “Well, someday things will change and I can concentrate on the right things, things that matter.” Yet the future is not in our hands, we can’t know what will happen. We only have the moment we live in. Take a moment for yourself. Go outside and look around you. Look for small things you might miss. A ladybug wandering in the undergrowth. Strangely shaped trees. A picture that a wee hobbit has drawn in the sand. The world has much to offer. Also, don’t let yourself dwell on the past too much. You can’t change the past, and neither can the others. Don’t add those things to your burden, it’s no use.

Step outside your comfort zone

We hobbits love comfort, and our comfort zone is the best place to be. However, there might be things out there that would make us even happier, and exploring the new would boost our courage. Yet we are afraid of entering those unknown areas. You might have walked past the Green Dragon on Fridays and heard how the folks laugh and chat inside – yet you feel afraid of joining in. What if they are a close-knit group who will ignore you or turn you away? Maybe they will make fun of you? Or maybe you just embarrass yourself by doing something silly? Time to let go of those fears and step in. It might take some time to get used to the new situation, but at the end of the night, you might have new friends. One night, you might even step on the rug and share a tale to the others. One day, you might even host those nights. That what happened to me, and I have never regretted it. Now, that moth-eaten rug of Green Dragon is part of my comfort zone, believe it or not! I wouldn’t complain though if Barmy would get it cleaned though…

Stepping out from my comfort zone led me to my friends!

That’s all for now. I hope these small pieces of wisdom have helped you with some of your worries at least. However, the best thing to deal with negative feelings is to talk about them with someone else, someone who is a good listener. Sometimes speaking about your thoughts helps more than any advice others can give.

Oh, and one more piece of hobbit advice: don't laugh at live dragons!

December 15, 2019

For our 15th Yule calendar surprise, we have another musical Yule card from Master Gamutdorok! This is a short video with dwarves singing Deck the Halls tune.

Gamutdorok - Deck the Hall

Also, here are some more screenshots by master Duilorfang!

A lovely Yule tree! Maybe it will get some company from the new yule trees? This one is put inside, safe from burglary hobbits...

Them ellufs are good friends with forest creatures, as you can see! If a hobbit would ride this feller, they could stick sausages on those horns. Practical!

December 14, 2019

Eek! We are now midway through our Yule calendar, and not a single recipe yet! Let's fix this issue now with a very traditional Finnish yule pastry: the "star pastry", joulutorttu. Folks in Sweden know these pastries as jultårta.

Picture from Wikipedia

The Yule pastries are actually very simple. Traditionally, they are made from puff pastry and filled with prune jam, and shaped like a pinwheel or a star. After baking, you can dust the pastries with powdered sugar.

Now, making the puff pastry is a lot of work: you need to fold the dough several times and add butter between the layers. Most folks buy frozen puff pastry from the store to skip this step. Feel free to do so! But if you have more time and love baking, just pick any puff pastry recipe you like. Then, you only need prune jam, egg, and powdered sugar.

This is how you shape the dough into stars or pinwheels: cut the rolled out dough into squares (the smaller the squares, the smaller the pastries will be). Make a cut starting from each corner, but don't cut through the centre of the square (this is where the filling will be added to). Put some prune jam into the centre. Moisten the corners slightly with egg and fold the other half of each corner onto the jam in the middle and press them slightly so that the corners are sealed together. Put the pastries on a baking sheet (on parchment paper) and brush them with egg. Bake them in the oven (225 °C) for appr. 10–15 minutes (might vary between different ovens). Dust the baked pastries with powdered sugar.

Here is a video that shows how to shape the pastries as pinwheels and some other fancy shapes. Here, the jam is put on top of the dough – you can do it either way!

Tips to fold the Yule pastries

 

If prune jam is not your thing, you can use any other jam that is ovenproof.

December 13, 2019

Today's surprise is a Yule story written by me! It is a new one that I haven't told before, and it has been inspired by some recent events in my personal life. And as you might guess from the picture, this story features a cat! I hope you ike it!

Picture by Piandao

Pepper the Cat

Once there was a small hobbit lass who lived with her pa, ma and their cat, Pepper. Pepper was a black-and -white tomcat, and despite being old already, he liked to play a lot. The lass loved Pepper very much – he used to curl up in her lap when she read him a bedtime story. Yet when he lass fell asleep, Pepper used to sneak out into the night, searching for an adventure.

One autumn, when the lass was reading a story to Pepper, she noticed that the cat was sneezing a bit. “Don’t worry, Pepper,” she said the cat, “it’s only a flu. Just rest well tonight and you’ll be alright tomorrow.” But as the child fell asleep, the cat went outside again, and disappeared into the darkness.

Next morning, Pepper was nowhere to be seen. The lass was worried. Had something happened to Pepper? Maybe the flu had gotten worse? Weeks passed, and still there was no sign of the cat. The parents tried to comfort the worried child. “Maybe the flu got worse, and Pepper went to sleep. He is alright, don’t worry.” The lass nodded, but she was in tears. She knew what it meant – Pepper was no more. He was dead.

Then came the Yule eve morning. The others were happy and expectant, but the lass felt odd. There was something strange in the air. She decided to go outside. When she stepped outside to the porch, she saw something lying there – a toy… a cat toy! It was black-and-white, just as Pepper had been. The lass took the toy and inspected it. It looked a bit ragged, but it was a fine little cat toy. The parents didn’t know how it had ended up on the porch. The lass decided to keep the toy – it reminded her of Pepper.

Late in the evening, after a tasty Yule supper, the lass crawled into her bed with Pepper the Toy Cat. She gave the toy a goodnight kiss and whispered: “I wish you were the real Pepper.”

“But I am,” Pepper the Toy answered, to her surprise! “I thought you could tell.”

“But… how…” the lass asked, all confused.

“You see, there was this wizard who turned me into a toy cat. That cured the nasty flu too! Now, everything is better. I can even talk to you, cats can’t do that even! Bah! It was a bit cumbersome to get here though, but here I am, in yer lap, where I belong to.”

The lass smiled. “I am glad that you are back and happy again, Pepper! I missed you so much.”

“I bet,” Pepper nodded. “Now, we have no time to waste! Get dressed up, quickly, because I need to show yer something!”

The lass dressed up as told, too excited to question the ragged toy cat. Pepper asked her to sneak out and go into the nearby woods. There, they stopped by a forest clearing and hid in a bush. “Now, we just wait a bit. They should be here soon!” Pepper whispered.

And then they came. The lass witnessed how all forest animals, big and small, gathered at the clearing. They seemed to wait for something. All of a sudden, a tall fellow in a brown robe strode out from the shadows, casting a magical light about him. “A wizard?” the lass whispered. “Is that a bird nest on his hat?” Pepper shrugged. “Don’t ask me, I never understood hats anyway. But look now, the moment has come!”

The wizard waved a long walking stick in the air, and the light around him spread. The air filled with glimmering, silvery flakes. “Snow!” the lass thought. She had never seen snow before, but she had heard from it. There was faint music in the air, soothing and joyful at the same time. The animals started swaying and dancing in a circle. “Go ahead, join them!” Pepper said. The lass looked hesitant though. “What if I will scare them away?” Pepper shook his head. “No you won’t! You are a mere child, you are no harm. No one would ever believe you if you told what you have seen tonight anyway. Let’s go!”

So the lass stepped out from hiding and, with Pepper in her hand, she walked to the animals. They looked at her and moved aside to give her a spot in the circle they had formed. However, the brown wizard beckoned her to the middle, allowing her to dance there, surrounded by the animals. She stepped forward, first shyly, but when she started to dance, all worries faded away. “This is so lovely, Pepper!” she said. “I thought you would like it,” Pepper said. “We cats have seen some things you people wouldn’t believe.”

Afterwards, the lass returned to her home, happy with the magical memory. As she lay down in her bed, she asked Pepper: “When I wake up tomorrow, will you just be a toy again? Is this all just magic of the Yule eve, Pepper?”

Pepper smiled. “Some evenings are more magical than usual, that’s true. But I suppose I will stay like this as long as you believe in me. Otherwise, the spell will be broken.” The lass smiled. “Of course I believe in you, Pepper!” Pepper smiled back. “That’s really great.”

((This story has been somewhat inspired by Tolkien’s Roverandom and our late cat, Pesci. He was a black-and-white tomcat who passed away some time ago. My daughter was devastated, she loved Pesci very much. Her friend gave her a similar black-and-white cat toy, which comforted her very much – Pesci is back again. And that gave me an idea for this story.))