I know I should be updating on More Crazy Things, but this is one plot bunny I could not kill. I hope you enjoy this little one-shot! I know I'm tired of the dead July heat! It's so hot here, that I've been dreaming of big, fluffy snowdrifts in my sleep. We need some December to cool things off! Enjoy!
A few notes: This is book verse, not movie verse, so it mentions the Scourging of the Shire. Also, any Christmas traditions represented herein are all old English traditions. This includes the food, décor, and carol lyrics.
Warning: This fic contains cheesiness of 1950's Claymation Christmas Special proportions. Don't say I didn't warn you.
It was the point in July where the summer weather had stopped being nice. The Shire seemed to be trapped in a purgatory, if purgatory was in fact a hot, still oven.
They'd been waiting on rain for two weeks, and the brilliant green of the landscape had begun to turn into a dull, roasted brown.
Crops had begun to shrivel, and stories were circulating that said you could fry an egg on the cobblestone streets of Hobbitton.
July had taken a headlong dive into August, the one month out of the year where no one would be able to find relief from the heat.
No one seemed as effected by this heat, however, than Frodo Baggins.
He spent most of his days locked up in Bag End, seeming to avoid the sun at all costs.
All of his friends were worried about him, of course, but none of them really knew what to do.
Frodo had become harder and harder for them to reach ever since they'd returned from the Quest, and this perturbed all of them.
"It affected all of us." Merry mused aloud one evening, to Sam. "Why can't he put it behind him and enjoy what he worked so hard to preserve?"
Samwise had only shook his head sadly. Merry couldn't understand. Sam had carried the Ring for a little while, and he could only imagine what it had been like for Frodo to have had it for so long.
"It's this heat." Sam said, after a while.
"What about the heat?" Pippin had asked.
"It's like…well, I can see where it would remind him of…" Sam didn't say it, loathe to even speak the name of the place that had caused his friend so much pain. The place that had caused him so much pain.
"Mordor." Merry said, finishing Sam's sentence. Sam nodded gravely.
None of them knew what to do.
Pippin mentioned it to his friend Diamond one day, while they were sitting by the Brandywine River.
They came there together often, especially since it had become so hot. It was nice to take a break from everything, and to talk while dangling their feet into the cool water.
Diamond had been one of the only people that Pippin had told about the Quest. He wasn't sure why; it had just slipped out one day.
He supposed that maybe he just needed someone to talk to about it, besides his friends, who were just as scarred as he was.
Diamond had proved to be a good listener, and an even better confidant.
"I just don't know why Frodo can't move on. Find himself some nice hobbit lass or something." Pippin sighed one day, looking up at the clouds.
He and Diamond were sitting on the banks of the river, recovering from a very extensive picnic she'd packed.
"It seems to me that perhaps that he had a harder time than any of them." she said. "And I think Sam's right. I think the heat reminds him of the Quest."
"Well, what are we going to do about it?" Pippin asked.
"Pipes and fiddlesticks!" Diamond exclaimed, sitting up, her soft curls bouncing with every movement she made.
"Do you have an idea?" Pippin asked, confused by her outburst.
"Do I have an idea?" she scoffed. "Of course I do. It's a great one. I can't believe that you guys didn't see it before. It's such a simple solution!"
"I'm not following." Pippin said. "What are you talking about?"
"Pippin, it's simple. The heat makes him think of Mordor, right?"
"Right…"
"And what's the opposite of heat?"
"Cold?"
"Winter, Pippin! And what's the best part of winter?"
"Oh." Pippin smiled, realization dawning on him. "Yule."
"Exactly." Diamond said, crossing her arms in satisfaction.
"So you think he'll be better by December?" Pippin asked, and Diamond put her face in her hands.
"No! I meant that we should have a real live Yule celebration right now. For Frodo."
"Ohhh. Now I get it. Great." Pippin grinned. "But it isn't cold. And how will Father Christmas know that we're having Yule early this year?"
"Father Christmas?" Diamond wrinkled her nose. "Pippin, you know that he's not real, right?"
"What?" he exclaimed. "No! He has to be real!"
Diamond rolled her eyes.
"Of course he is, Pippin. I was only kidding."
Pippin heaved a sigh of relief, and they began making plans.
~Break~
It was easy to get everyone onboard. Sam, Merry, Rosie, Pippin, and Diamond were throwing the party at Bag End, and Rosie and Diamond had even decided to invite some of the eligible girls from around the county, in the hopes that perhaps one of them might catch Frodo's eye.
They only invited a few, since they wanted to keep the gathering relatively small.
They had invited Estella Bolger, and the twins, Pansy and Posy Bracegirdle.
The boys spent most of the day of the party cutting pine boughs and a tiny Christmas tree, careful to avoid walking around Frodo's window; the girls spent most of the day cooking a traditional Yule feast; a roast goose with chestnut dressing, a large roasted fish, carrots braised in honey, mince pies, mulled wine, plum pudding, and a beautiful walnut cake that Rosie had frosted with whipped cream.
Word spread about the Yule celebration that was going to be taking place in Bag End among their heroes (The Shire had yet to forget the travel worn foursome who had saved them all from Sharkey and his men the year before.)
Many families decided to join in the celebration by sending over beautifully wrapped gifts, some big, some small. Some families even sent over some of their favorite decorations for loan, many of which had sat in dusty attics since last December.
Harmon Grub, who owned the mercantile, had even sent over a box full of thin, white tallow candles, to put around the house and give it a lovely, Yule-like glow.
Frodo, locked in his bedroom, probably brooding over his book, didn't even notice the preparations. For once, they were glad of his hermitage, since it made it easier to surprise him.
At noontime, Rosie brought him a plate of bread and cheese, like usual. If he noticed that anything was amiss, or that he could smell any of the feast cooking, he didn't let on.
By the time night fell, they had managed to transform the house into the perfect place for a Yule celebration, despite the fact that the July heat still hung around the room.
There were twisted garland and wreaths made of pine and cedar, all tied up with bright red velvet ribbons, as well as silver foil stars hanging from the ceiling rafters. The tree was a baby spruce, green and silver, and they'd covered it with ribbons and cheerful hand- painted ornaments. Colorfully wrapped gifts sat underneath it, looking inviting. There were candles everywhere, casting an angelic glow around the room, and the wooden table groaned with the weight from the feast the women had laid out.
"This is perfect." Diamond said, wiping her hands on her apron, then hanging it on the rack next to Rosie's.
The five women sat back and admired their own handiwork, when the men came in, all of them smiling at the decorations and the group of lovely ladies, all of them dressed in their finest dresses.
"If it got any prettier in here, the house couldn't hold it all in." Sam said, kissing Rosie's cheek and placing a hand on her belly, which was swollen with child.
"The only thing that could make this better would be some snow." Pippin said, looking out the window at the dried-up yard and wilting flowers.
"I think perhaps I can arrange that." A voice from out of nowhere said, and they all were shocked to see Gandalf, who was sitting in the rocking chair as if he'd always been there, his blue eyes twinkling.
"Mr. Gandalf!" Sam exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Didn't I write in my last letter that I'd be here for Yuletide?" he asked, standing up to embrace Merry, Pippin, and Sam.
"But it's July." Pippin said.
"Fool-of-a-Took." Gandalf said, not unkindly, but chuckling. "You all made it Yuletide. It's not decorations, or food, or a gentle snow that makes Christmas, but a spirit of love inside your hearts. That's Yule. Don't you see? Your love for Frodo has made this time more magical than any December there ever was."
"Magic?" Merry asked, and everyone looked confused.
"Why, yes, Sir Meriadoc. Why don't you look outside?" Gandalf said, his lips twitching from holding back a smile.
They all hurried to the window, to see an amazing sight. Out of the clear summer sky, full of sparkling stars and a full moon, came tiny snowflakes, and before long, there was a nice layer of it all around the Shire, dusting everything. Soon, it got deeper and deeper, and Gandalf laughed.
"Let's just call this my gift to Frodo, hmm? What are you all waiting for? Go get him, Sam."
Sam, still in awe, went to the back room to get Frodo.
The old wizard stood up, stooping in the tiny hobbit hole, and skeptically examined a bundle of parsley that was hanging under the arch in the entryway.
"Parsley? Why is there parsley hanging from the entryway?" he asked, his eyes still twinkling.
"Well, Mr. Gandalf," Diamond explained, a bit timid around the wizard, "It was too early in the year to find any mistletoe. And everyone knows that you can't have a Yule celebration without mistletoe."
"Ah." Gandalf laughed. "Innovative."
Sam emerged from the hallway, Frodo in tow.
He looked wilted, but something lit up in his eyes when he saw everyone gathered around, the snow outside, and Gandalf.
"Happy Christmas, Frodo." Everyone greeted him, and for a while, they were all treated to a little glimpse of the old Frodo; the fun one, who they'd known before the war.
He was still a little subdued, and Sam supposed he always would be, but this was much better than his constant moping.
Frodo was actually smiling, and that in itself was a major accomplishment.
They all sat down and ate, then had dancing while Posy Bracegirdle, who was quite good at the violin, played music for everyone.
That was when they heard different music, coming from outside. There were people singing.
They all went outside on the yard to see what the commotion was about, and were greeted by a throng of hobbits, all dressed in their winter clothes, bundled against the snow, singing.
Yes, they were singing Christmas carols, and many of them held candles. It seemed that they wanted to join the party as well.
It was "What Sweeter Music", a favorite in Hobbitton, and Frodo laughed with abandon, happy for the first time in months.
"Why don't we invite them in?" He asked Sam.
Frodo was wanting to actually be around people? Wow, this was Christmas magic.
"There isn't room in the house." Rosie said.
"Why don't we move this party to the Green Dragon, then, hmm?" Pippin suggested. In his opinion, the only thing missing from this party was ale and pipeweed, which the Green Dragon kept in abundance.
"Excellent idea, Pip." Merry seconded.
"But all our decorations are here." Diamond pointed out.
"Oh no, they're not." Fatty Bolger, who was at the front of the chorus pointed out. "We've been there all day, making it look like Yule, and cooking. Shall we go?"
"It's just like every party." Pansy said to her sister Posy, who still had her violin in hand. "You only invite a few, and then the rest of Hobbitton ends up coming anyway."
They all walked to the Green Dragon, which took longer than normal, since many of the hobbits stopped several times to begin impromptu snowball fights, but once they got there, the night was even better.
It was like the small gathering at Bag End, of course, except with many more people. There was dancing, music, food…everything.
"Where's Merry?" Pippin asked Diamond at one point during the festivities, when he noticed he wasn't around.
"Him and Estella went for a walk." Diamond said, with a suggestive wink.
Merry and Estella? Really?
Pippin hadn't seen that one coming.
"Oh." he said, and took another sip of ale.
He glanced over at Diamond, who was watching the festivities, smiling.
"Would you just look at Frodo?" she said happily, and pointed across the room where Frodo and Sam were seated, smoking their pipes and telling jokes over tall glasses of eggnog, watching the dancers.
"Thank you, Diamond." Pippin said. "You helped him remember what he saved."
"You're welcome." she beamed, seeming to enjoy what her idea had done. She sighed, content. "Everyone's so happy. And look, there's even real mistletoe over there. Mrs. Chubb had some dried last year. Mother always said that it wasn't a real Yule party without mistletoe, and-"
She was interrupted by Pippin dragging her to her feet, and onto the dance floor, towards the doorway where the mistletoe was.
"Peregrin Took, what are you doing?" she demanded.
"I'm just having fun. It's Yule after all."
"Pippin!" she protested with a light giggle as her pulled her under the dried green leaves.
"Don't talk." he said, not sure if he was feeling brave from the good mood he was in, or from the ale or both.
Either way, he pressed his lips to hers.
He took it as a good sign that she was still smiling when he pulled away.
"Happy Christmas, Diamond." he said, breathlessly.
"Happy Christmas, Pippin." she laughed, feeling a little awkward, and hoping none of her relatives had seen, or they'd tell her parents.
Pippin pulled her away, towards the other side of the room.
"What are we doing now, Pippin?"
"I need more cake." he said, and she laughed.
Old Mrs. Hornblower came over, and patted them both on the back.
"I think you and your friends may have started a tradition. I think two Yules a year isn't too much, is it?" she asked.
"Not too much, no." Pippin answered, smiling.
And so it became a tradition in the Shire after that, that every July 27th, there would be a Yule celebration at the Green Dragon. There wasn't always snow, but there was always plenty of good cheer and Christmas spirit that made them all forget the heat outside.
Okay, so that was probably the cheesiest thing ever. Ever. But it came to me from nowhere, so eat your cheese and be happy! And to all of you stuck in and endless heat wave, this is a friendly reminder to stay hydrated and apply plenty of sunblock. And also, to REVIEW! Merry Christmas, everybody! ;)