Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. The characters belong to Tolkien. The
plot, however, belongs to me.
Summary: Frodo tells his cousins about the phenomenon that is Christmas.. It's just the beginning of the hobbits celebrating Holidays.
The Alternative Uses of a Fireplace
Frodo Baggins and his cousins Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took were sitting around Frodo's fireplace in Bag End after a long day playing in the snow. Truth be told Merry and Pippin did most of the snow romping while Frodo watched but that was beyond the point. As the young hobbits stared into the flames Merry's mind began to churn.
"Fireplaces are boring," Merry stated randomly, "They have no real use. Fire could easily be contained other ways."
"Merry?" Pippin questioned. The young hobbit was afraid his cousin had lost his mind. "It's just a fire place Merry. Nothing to get upset about."
"Peregrin is right. It is nothing to get upset about. But fireplaces do have other uses," Frodo had no idea what he was getting into when he made this statement to his younger cousins.
Merry raised his eyebrow, "And what may that be?"
"To hang stocking at Christmas of course!"
"Crismiss?" Merry and Pippin asked.
"Christmas," Frodo nodded. "Christmas is a marvelous holiday. I learned about it from a elderly lady when I was a lad."
"Tell us. We want to know.. don't we Pip?"
"We sure do. Tell us cousin."
"Very well. Christmas happens in winter on a night very much like this one. You hang bright red stockings on the mantle above the fireplace."
"What is a stocking?" inquired Merry.
"A stocking," Frodo explained, "is a large piece of cloth sewn together so it acts like a sack but is in the shape of a foot."
"Oh, but why do you hang it above the fireplace?" Merry asked.
Frodo sighed. This was a bad idea, he thought. "Maybe I should explain this to you some other time, when you will understand better."
"No!" protested Pippin, "You started telling us a story and you can't stop now. You must continue! We will understand." Merry nodded his head in agreement.
Frodo sighed once more, "Very well. You hang the stocking above the fireplace in the evening and when you wake up in the morning it is filled with all sorts of treats. During the night a man named Santa Clause comes down the chimney and leaves you gifts in your stocking and under your tree. Ah yes, the tree, I forgot to tell you about that."
"Tell us! Tell us!" Pippin pleaded.
"At Christmas, there is a large fir tree in your house. You decorate it with brightly colored balls, some with glitter on them, called ornaments. On the top of the tree you put a star. You can put candles on it to light it up and make it shine. It is very beautiful," Frodo explained. At that moment Frodo had a flashback of when the elderly lady was describing Christmas to him and remember a picture she had showed him of a Christmas tree. He hopped up knowing he had it in a book somewhere and ran into the study to look for it. A puzzled Merry and Pippin followed.
"Er.. Frodo, what are you doing?" Merry asked as Frodo tore through the books lining the walls of the study.
"Looking for a picture to show you two." He opened a book, his eyes lit up and flipped through it finding the picture he wanted tucked away in the center. "Ah, here it is." He unfolded the parchment and held it open for the young hobbits to see. Pippin's eyes grew huge with excitement.
"Can we have Christmas Frodo? Can we?" the Took asked. His eyes wandered across the page in amazement as he took the picture from Frodo. "And those presents under the tree and in those stockings... those are from Santa Clothes right?"
"Santa Clause but yes, they are. He comes and leaves gifts and in exchange for the presents you must leave him out milk and cookies."
"Can we have Christmas? Right here in Bag End?" asked Merry. "It sounds like such a wonderful thing."
"Ah but there is only one night you can have Christmas. It must be on December 25 or Santa Clause won't come."
Pippin frowned. It was only December 12. "Why does it have to be December 25?" he asked, disappointed he would have to wait so long. "That's just the way it is Pip," replied Frodo, "I'm not quite sure myself. That's just the way it is. But we can put up a tree and make cookies to prepare before then if you'd like. There will be Christmas this year in Bag End if you'd like to have it."
"Of course we would. When can we start?" Merry said.
"Tomorrow," replied Frodo watching Pippin yawn from the corner of his eye. "Right now I think it is time for bed."
"Do we have to?" Pippin yawned. "I want to start our Christmas now."
"Yes we have to, it is time for bed. Come to bed now and I will tell you of the other holidays like Easter, Valentine's Day, and Halloween when we prepare for our Christmas." Pippins eyes grew wide at this comment.
"There are other holidays?!?" the hobbit exclaimed. Frodo laughed and nodded. So the hobbits went to sleep and had visions of sugar plumbs dancing in their heads.
I know it was short and not my best work but R&R! If I get enough reviews I will write about the actual Christmas itself. I'll post the stories of the other Holidays later.
Summary: Frodo tells his cousins about the phenomenon that is Christmas.. It's just the beginning of the hobbits celebrating Holidays.
The Alternative Uses of a Fireplace
Frodo Baggins and his cousins Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took were sitting around Frodo's fireplace in Bag End after a long day playing in the snow. Truth be told Merry and Pippin did most of the snow romping while Frodo watched but that was beyond the point. As the young hobbits stared into the flames Merry's mind began to churn.
"Fireplaces are boring," Merry stated randomly, "They have no real use. Fire could easily be contained other ways."
"Merry?" Pippin questioned. The young hobbit was afraid his cousin had lost his mind. "It's just a fire place Merry. Nothing to get upset about."
"Peregrin is right. It is nothing to get upset about. But fireplaces do have other uses," Frodo had no idea what he was getting into when he made this statement to his younger cousins.
Merry raised his eyebrow, "And what may that be?"
"To hang stocking at Christmas of course!"
"Crismiss?" Merry and Pippin asked.
"Christmas," Frodo nodded. "Christmas is a marvelous holiday. I learned about it from a elderly lady when I was a lad."
"Tell us. We want to know.. don't we Pip?"
"We sure do. Tell us cousin."
"Very well. Christmas happens in winter on a night very much like this one. You hang bright red stockings on the mantle above the fireplace."
"What is a stocking?" inquired Merry.
"A stocking," Frodo explained, "is a large piece of cloth sewn together so it acts like a sack but is in the shape of a foot."
"Oh, but why do you hang it above the fireplace?" Merry asked.
Frodo sighed. This was a bad idea, he thought. "Maybe I should explain this to you some other time, when you will understand better."
"No!" protested Pippin, "You started telling us a story and you can't stop now. You must continue! We will understand." Merry nodded his head in agreement.
Frodo sighed once more, "Very well. You hang the stocking above the fireplace in the evening and when you wake up in the morning it is filled with all sorts of treats. During the night a man named Santa Clause comes down the chimney and leaves you gifts in your stocking and under your tree. Ah yes, the tree, I forgot to tell you about that."
"Tell us! Tell us!" Pippin pleaded.
"At Christmas, there is a large fir tree in your house. You decorate it with brightly colored balls, some with glitter on them, called ornaments. On the top of the tree you put a star. You can put candles on it to light it up and make it shine. It is very beautiful," Frodo explained. At that moment Frodo had a flashback of when the elderly lady was describing Christmas to him and remember a picture she had showed him of a Christmas tree. He hopped up knowing he had it in a book somewhere and ran into the study to look for it. A puzzled Merry and Pippin followed.
"Er.. Frodo, what are you doing?" Merry asked as Frodo tore through the books lining the walls of the study.
"Looking for a picture to show you two." He opened a book, his eyes lit up and flipped through it finding the picture he wanted tucked away in the center. "Ah, here it is." He unfolded the parchment and held it open for the young hobbits to see. Pippin's eyes grew huge with excitement.
"Can we have Christmas Frodo? Can we?" the Took asked. His eyes wandered across the page in amazement as he took the picture from Frodo. "And those presents under the tree and in those stockings... those are from Santa Clothes right?"
"Santa Clause but yes, they are. He comes and leaves gifts and in exchange for the presents you must leave him out milk and cookies."
"Can we have Christmas? Right here in Bag End?" asked Merry. "It sounds like such a wonderful thing."
"Ah but there is only one night you can have Christmas. It must be on December 25 or Santa Clause won't come."
Pippin frowned. It was only December 12. "Why does it have to be December 25?" he asked, disappointed he would have to wait so long. "That's just the way it is Pip," replied Frodo, "I'm not quite sure myself. That's just the way it is. But we can put up a tree and make cookies to prepare before then if you'd like. There will be Christmas this year in Bag End if you'd like to have it."
"Of course we would. When can we start?" Merry said.
"Tomorrow," replied Frodo watching Pippin yawn from the corner of his eye. "Right now I think it is time for bed."
"Do we have to?" Pippin yawned. "I want to start our Christmas now."
"Yes we have to, it is time for bed. Come to bed now and I will tell you of the other holidays like Easter, Valentine's Day, and Halloween when we prepare for our Christmas." Pippins eyes grew wide at this comment.
"There are other holidays?!?" the hobbit exclaimed. Frodo laughed and nodded. So the hobbits went to sleep and had visions of sugar plumbs dancing in their heads.
I know it was short and not my best work but R&R! If I get enough reviews I will write about the actual Christmas itself. I'll post the stories of the other Holidays later.