🧙♂️ September 22 – Hobbit Day: Second Breakfast, Elevensies, and a Whole Lotta Shire Shenanigans 🧝♀️
Alright, my preciouses—grab your pipeweed (or tea), slip on something cozy, and prepare for hairy feet-level comfort because September 22 is Hobbit Day, and we’re about to party like it’s Bilbo’s eleventy-first birthday. 🎉
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Just so you know, this post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click through and buy something, I might earn a tiny commission—enough to keep the lights on and maybe snag a celebratory cupcake. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, pinky promise.
📖 Wait, What Is Hobbit Day?
Hobbit Day celebrates the shared birthday of Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins, two of the most iconic fictional residents of Middle-earth, created by legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien. Both characters were born on September 22 (in different years, of course), and their adventures in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings sparked an entire fandom universe—and probably half your Pinterest board.
Hobbit Day is part of Tolkien Week, but September 22 is the day for feasting, wandering, and possibly whispering “my precious” to a bagel.
🧝♂️ Quirky Facts from the Shire
Bilbo was born in the year 2890 of the Third Age, Frodo in 2968. That's a whopping 78 years apart, which, to hobbits, is basically just "two old dudes with excellent taste in cloaks."
The “eleventy-first” birthday party in The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the most iconic fictional parties ever—and possibly the inspiration for every cozy cottagecore TikTok vibe.
Hobbits eat at least seven meals a day. Honestly? Icons.
The first official Hobbit Day was celebrated by fans in 1978, proving that nerd culture had holiday spirit way before Comic-Con was cool.
🥖 10+ Delightfully Unexpected Ways to Celebrate Hobbit Day
🍳 Host a “Seven Meals” Challenge
Start with breakfast, then second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. Bonus points if you wear suspenders and complain about adventures.🧦 Go Full Cozycore
Ditch the shoes, put on your comfiest earth-toned outfit, and pretend you live in a hillside cottage surrounded by mushrooms and gossiping neighbors.🍰 Throw a Backyard “Eleventy-First” Party
String up fairy lights, bake seed cakes, and maybe give a dramatic disappearing speech halfway through. “I regret to announce, this is the end. I’m going now... to binge all three extended editions.”📚 Read (or Re-read) The Hobbit or LOTR
Even just a chapter or two with a cup of tea and a snack. Bonus: dramatically whisper all the Gollum lines.🌿 Take a Shire-Worthy Nature Walk
Hobbits love the simple life—so wander slowly, look at mushrooms, and maybe sketch a leaf. Don’t forget to pack a snack. Or five.🛋️ Create a Hobbit Hole Vibe at Home
Think warm lighting, round objects, mismatched mugs, and a LOT of snacks. Toss some books around for that "just escaped the Sackville-Bagginses" feel.🎥 Movie Marathon, Extended Edition Only (duh)
If you don’t spend 12 hours rewatching Frodo dramatically stare into the distance while Howard Shore’s music plays, are you even celebrating?🧁 Bake Something with Second Breakfast Energy
Try seed cakes, scones, honey cakes, or lembas bread (a.k.a. shortbread with a flair for drama).🎩 Speak Only in Hobbit Talk
Replace all greetings with “Good morning!” (and answer with “Do you mean it is a good morning, or that you feel good this morning?”). Refer to everything mildly uncomfortable as “confounded.”📖 Write Your Own Hobbit-y Tale
Short story about a garden-obsessed introvert who accidentally adopts a dragon? Yes, please. Toss in a few pipe-smoking gnomes for good measure.🍺 Visit a Local Pub (or Make Your Own Green Dragon Tavern)
Order a pint, sing a song, and toast to “a long life and a peaceful death”...and maybe second breakfast tomorrow.
Hobbit Day Shire-Style Feast
🥔 Main Dish: Garden Veggie & Mushroom Pie (like a mini savory “Shire Shepherd’s Pie”)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, chopped (cremini or portobello = extra earthy)
1/2 cup peas
1/2 tsp thyme + 1/2 tsp rosemary
2 tbsp flour
1 cup veggie broth
Salt + pepper
2 cups mashed potatoes (leftover or fresh-made)
Optional: grated cheese for topping
Instructions:
Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft.
Add carrots, celery, and mushrooms—cook until softened.
Stir in herbs, peas, flour; cook 1 min.
Add broth, simmer until thickened.
Pour into a baking dish, top with mashed potatoes (and cheese if you’re feeling elvish).
Bake at 375°F for 20–25 min until bubbly and golden.
🥖 Side: Seed Cake-Inspired Soda Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp caraway or fennel seeds
1 cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
Instructions:
Mix dry ingredients, stir in buttermilk until a shaggy dough forms.
Form into a round loaf, score the top.
Bake at 375°F for 30–35 min.
Serve warm with butter and jam (because hobbits never say no to butter and jam).
🍎 Drink: Spiced Apple Cider (Hot or Cold)
Ingredients:
4 cups apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
Optional: orange slices or splash of brandy
Instructions:
Simmer spices and cider 10–15 min.
Serve warm in mugs or chilled in jars with a sprig of rosemary or thyme.
🍮 Dessert: Honey-Crusted Apple & Blackberry Tart
Ingredients:
1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
2 medium apples (sliced thin)
1 cup blackberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsp honey (plus more for drizzling)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp flour or cornstarch (to thicken)
1 egg (for egg wash)
Optional: sprinkle of turbinado sugar on crust
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Roll out crust onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (rustic galette-style).
In a bowl, toss apples and blackberries with honey, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour.
Pile fruit mix into the center of the crust, leaving a 2-inch border.
Fold crust edges over fruit, pleating as you go.
Brush crust with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.
Bake 35–40 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Cool slightly, then drizzle with a bit more honey before serving.
Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream—because second dessert is a sacred rite.
🕯 Bonus Vibes:
Eat by candlelight or lantern glow.
Lay a gingham cloth or use mismatched wooden plates like you raided Bilbo’s pantry.
A small bouquet of wildflowers (or weeds, honestly—it’s the spirit that counts).
Maybe read a little Tolkien aloud. Or recite a toast like,
“May the hair on your toes never fall out!”
🧁 Elementary Activity: “A Hobbit Feast & Tale-Telling Circle”
Theme: Literacy + Imaginative Play + Social Skills
Grade Level: K–5
🍽️ Activity Overview:
Students will celebrate Hobbit Day with a mini “Second Breakfast” feast and create their own Hobbit-inspired characters. Then, they’ll gather in a tale-telling circle to share their Hobbit’s mini-adventure in the style of Bilbo Baggins.
🧺 Materials Needed:
A large circle rug or picnic-style cloth (for “The Shire” gathering spot)
Paper muffin liners (for mini “feast” snacks)
Simple snacks: mini muffins, crackers, fruit slices (or any Hobbit-friendly fare)
Brown craft paper or construction paper for Hobbit Feet cutouts 🦶
Character creation worksheet
Markers, crayons, scissors, glue sticks
Optional: a green cape or cloak for the storyteller “cape of courage”
🧙♀️ Steps to Bring the Shire to Life:
Set the Scene:
Play gentle Shire-inspired music (search “Shire ambiance” on YouTube 🎶).
Lay down the picnic cloth/rug and arrange the snacks in muffin liners.
Welcome your class to “The Shire” and explain that today is Bilbo & Frodo’s birthday!
Create Hobbit Characters:
Pass out the Hobbit Creation Sheet.
Students invent their own Hobbit: name, favorite snack, home style (tree? hill? mushroom house?), and a tiny adventure (e.g., they got lost in a pumpkin patch, or rescued a squirrel!).
Make Hobbit Feet:
Trace students' feet on brown paper, cut them out, and decorate with curly hair (crayons or glued yarn if you’re feeling fancy).
Tale-Telling Circle:
Students wear their Hobbit Feet and gather for storytime.
One by one, they sit in the “Storyteller Spot” (wearing the cape!) and share their Hobbit’s mini adventure.
🌟 Optional Extensions:
Hobbit Name Generator (first pet + favorite food = “Muffin McFluffins”) 😂
Teach a simple Hobbit walking song or have a “second breakfast dance”
📚 Secondary Activity: “There and Back Again: A Hero’s Journey Map”
Theme: Literary Analysis + Creative Writing + Visual Thinking
Grade Level: 6–12
🗺️ Activity Overview:
Students will explore the Hero’s Journey through the lens of Tolkien’s Hobbits, then craft a fictional journey of their own. They'll design a stylized “There and Back Again” map tracing their character’s path through trials, allies, and magical moments.
✏️ Materials Needed:
Copies of the Hero’s Journey diagram (can be simplified for younger grades)
Large paper or poster board for map creation
Colored pencils, markers, rulers
Optional: parchment-style paper or tea-stained paper for effect ☕📜
Hobbit Day warm-up slide or quote set
🌄 Steps to Adventure:
Warm-Up (10 min):
Display a Tolkien quote:
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door...”
Quickwrite prompt: “What kind of journey would YOU set out on, if you left your door today?”
Hero’s Journey Crash Course (15 min):
Briefly explain the 12 stages of the Hero’s Journey (Departure, Initiation, Return).
Discuss how The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings follows this structure (use bullet points or short film clips).
Create Your Own Hero:
Students brainstorm a character (human, Hobbit, dragon-rider—anything goes!).
They decide what the character wants, what stands in their way, and who helps along the journey.
Map the Journey:
Students draw a visual map of their character’s Hero’s Journey.
Include labels for key events (e.g., “Crossing the Marshes of Self-Doubt” or “Battle at the Snack Bar of Destiny”) and a compass rose!
Share in a “Council of Elrond”:
Small groups gather to present their maps.
Students give brief “tales” of their hero’s journey, showcasing key turning points.
🔖 Optional Add-Ons:
Watch a clip from The Hobbit or LOTR to analyze character growth.
Offer Hobbit-themed bookmarks as participation prizes 📚🧝
💡 Quick Time-Saving Tips:
Don’t have time to explain the Hero’s Journey from scratch? Use a short, engaging video from YouTube (search: “Hero’s Journey explained for students”).
For elementary teachers short on prep time, keep it snack-based and imagination-heavy—don’t stress the crafts!
🧙♂️ Quirky in the Workplace
A.K.A. “Second breakfast is a right, not a privilege.”
September 22 marks the birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, which means it’s time to swap your coffee for ale (or at least strongly consider it), toss on something vaguely cloak-like, and let your inner halfling thrive. You may not work in the Shire, but your office can smell like second breakfast and mild adventure.
🥞 “Second Breakfast Potluck & Middle-Management Earth”
How it works:
At precisely 10:30 a.m., declare a Second Breakfast Break for the whole office.
Everyone brings a vaguely hobbit-esque snack to share — think: seed cakes, scones, jam, mushrooms (label those), mini pies, or anything that looks like it came from a cottagecore Pinterest board.
But here's the twist:
Each dish must have a sign written in faux-ye-olde Hobbiton style.
Examples:
“Samwise’s Shire-Spiced Crumpets”
“Gandalf’s Grey Morning Biscuits (Now with 87% less pipeweed)”
“Boromir's ‘One Does Not Simply Eat Just One’ Banana Bread”
Bonus Round: “Middle-Management Earth” Titles
Assign everyone a Hobbiton-esque title for the day based on their job:
Office Manager → Keeper of the Conference Stones
IT Support → Guardian of the Glowing Orbs (a.k.a. monitors)
Intern → Apprentice of the Copy Scrolls
CEO → The One Who Schedules All Meetings and Must Therefore Be Obeyed
Encourage name tags.
Tagline for the day:
“Even the smallest snack can change the course of a workday.”
🎬 Movie Pick: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Why it fits:
This is where Frodo's journey begins — and we first visit the Shire, filled with Hobbits celebrating Bilbo’s eleventy-first birthday. It's the perfect Hobbit Day celebration, literally mirroring the in-universe party. Cozy Hobbit holes, fireworks from Gandalf, and second breakfasts galore.
📺 TV Episode Pick: The Big Bang Theory – Season 6, Episode 4: “The Re-Entry Minimization”
Why it fits:
The gang plays a competitive fantasy-themed game night, including “Mystic Warlords of Ka’a”, and references to Dungeons & Dragons and Lord of the Rings abound throughout the series. Sheldon also makes multiple Hobbit references across the show, and this episode taps into that geek culture joy — perfect for a Hobbit Day watch.
💬 One Final Toast…
Whether you're a Frodo fan, a Bilbo devotee, or just here for the snacks and vibes, Hobbit Day is a sweet, nostalgic reminder to slow down, eat often, appreciate your creature comforts, and never underestimate a small person with a big heart and a bigger appetite.
✨ “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” – Galadriel
✨ “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” – Samwise Gamgee
✨ “I’m going on an adventure!” – Bilbo Baggins
Now, go celebrate like a true Baggins—or at least a Took. 😉
🧙♂️ #HobbitDay Hashtags
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