Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR, or any of the characters

A/N: This is a Christmas fic! Yay! There are some changes that I made to the plotline of LOTR. You will notice that Gandalf, Frodo, and Elrond did not go to the Undying Lands. This is mostly to provide comic relief. Please R &R!

Chapter 1

The first invitation

Aragorn woke up one morning to find that the world outside his window was covered in a layer of snow. "What day is it? Is it winter already?" he exclaimed. It seemed like just yesterday that the sun was shining down on the summer flowers.

Arwen walked into his room, smiling at her husband teasingly. "It's December the first today."

"How is it December the first?" Aragorn screamed, tearing off his covers and getting out of bed. "Yesterday was still September!"

Arwen frowned. "Have you been drinking?"

Aragorn shook his head and calmed down. "It must be the overwork. I HATE being King! Arrrrgggggghhhhhhh! Who cares about the stupid Easterlings? Why don't they just go and rot? I hate my job!" He ran around the room and punched the wall. "OWWW!" he cried. One wonders how he can headbutt a helmeted Uruk Hai and still hurt himself punching a wall.

Arwen watched her beloved as he tore around the room, eventually coming to rest on all fours, panting. "Dear, I think you need a vacation. . ."

"Yes!" said Aragorn. "Let's go to an exotic resort and stay there and never come back to Gondor!"

A servant passing by the room glanced through the open doorway, and walked away from the room really fast.

"I have a better idea honey!" Arwen exclaimed happily. "Christmas is coming up. In a few weeks we'll go to Rivendell and celebrate with Ada!"

An idea began to form in Aragorn's mind. "Yes! In fact, why don't we plan a Christmas party there? We'll invite people from all over Middle-Earth!"

Arwen hesitated. "I don't think daddy would like that. . ."

"Oh, don't worry about him," Aragorn said confidently. "I'll make sure that he will be a most welcoming host."

Arwen, though a little freaked outabout what her father's reaction would be, began to help her husband in planning the party.

The Shire

Rose Gamgee ran to her father. "You've got mail, you've got mail!" she proclaimed, much like the annoying AOL commercial that played about 5 years ago.Samwise Gamgee looked up from his gardening and took a letter from his daughter's hands. "Thank you Rose," he said absently, trying to force a stubborn sunflower plant into a pot. The pot was too small the accommodate the roots of the flower. He continued to jam the plant into the tiny pot with all his strength. "I'll read it as soon as I-whoops," he looked down at the plant, which had fallen apart in his hands. The pot was also warped beyond repair. He muttered some very colourful language before he remembered that his 9-year old daughter was listening intently, hanging on to every word. "Uh. . . go inside the house, honey. Daddy will come in as soon as he cleans up this mess," he gestured to the remains of the sunflower, splattered all over the soil.

Once his daughter had left, Sam looked at the letter. The envelope had Gondor's coat of arms with the King's stamp on the seal. He slit open the envelope and took out the card. The front of it had 3 snowmen, all dressed in holiday attire, their mouths wide open in some traumatic pose. When he opened the card three loud but gravely voices blasted out in some attempted form of music. The sound sliced through the cold December air, bringing instant agony upon any who chanced to hear it. Sam closed the card quickly. The wailing ceased.

Rosie Cotton, Sam's wife, came running out of the house. "What was that!" she asked incredulously.

Sam scratched his head, puzzled. "We got a Christmas card from Aragorn, I think."

"He must have finally gone over the edge to send us something as horrible as that!"

Sam began to open that card again.

"Samwise, don't!" Rosie cried.

"I have to see what he wrote to us!" Sam protested.

Rosie ran into the house and slammed the door behind her. Very gingerly, Sam opened the card. The groaning sound started again, but this time Sam paid it no heed and instead read the text scrawled on the inside.

"'Happy Holidays,' he read, "Very happy, especially with all this noise. 'King Elessar of Gondor and his wife Arwen invite you and your family to celebrate Christmas with them in Rivendell. A party will take place in the Last Homely House on the 24th of December. You are welcome to stay in Rivendell for the entire Christmas week, provided you make an appropriate excuse to the founder, Lord Elrond.' "

Sam shut the card before the noise could cause any permanent brain damage.

All the passer-bys heaved sighs of relief. Rosie emerged slowly from their hobbit-hole. Once she found that the terrible noise had ceased, she stomped up to her husband. "I'm getting the fire started, and we are disposing of that horrid card! I don't know what that Aragorn was thinking-"

"He invited us to Rivendell," Sam interrupted. "We're gonna spend Christmas there and see all the elves!"

"That's wonderful, Sam," Rosie replied dryly, "but what about the children?"

"They'll come with us, naturally."

Rosie eyed him sceptically. "You really want to haul all eight of our children to Rivendell? Have you any idea how torturous the journey will be?"

"Oh, don't worry," Sam said confidently, "They'll have a great time, and so will we."

A/N: What do you think? This first chapter was kind of dry, but it will get better as the story goes along. Please review!