Episode One: On Hobbit Gift Giving

[MachoManMal]

I know I am incredibly late to the party, however, I just wanted to point out a few things that caught my attention with the Hobbit gift giving tradition.

Tolkien makes it very clear that Hobbits usually give back gifts that they have already received from someone else. This is honestly my favorite part of the whole tradition, that one gift could probably pass around a whole town! Because of this, I believe for the Hobbits it is in many ways a little bit less about the gift itself but the act of giving gifts to others and the surprise of seeing what you’ve been given that they enjoy.

I also think this is how the hobbits stay away from becoming too much of hoarders, they often give away ther gifts! In fact, I think this is really what Bilbo is sort of doing on his birthday, he’s decluttering and “moving out” in a sense so Frodo can come live there. That may even be why they set up birthdays like that, so that they don’t become to much of hoarders and at their birthday every year have a chance to get rid of some things and have fun giving gifts at the same time.

 

[Luke of X (Fmr. Twitter)]

I know I am incredibly late to the party, however, I just wanted to point out a few things that caught my attention with the Hobbit gift giving tradition.

Tolkien makes it very clear that Hobbits usually give back gifts that they have already received from someone else. This is honestly my favorite part of the whole tradition, that one gift could probably pass around a whole town! Because of this, I believe for the Hobbits it is in many ways a little bit less about the gift itself but the act of giving gifts to others and the surprise of seeing what you’ve been given that they enjoy.

I also think this is how the hobbits stay away from becoming too much of hoadrers, they often give away ther gifts! In fact, I think this is really what Bilbo is sort of doing on his birthday, he’s decluttering and “moving out” in a sense so Frodo can come live there. That may even be why they ste up birthdays like that, so that they don’t become to much of hoarders and at their birthday every year have a chance to get Ed if some things and have fun giving gifts at the same time.

No worries Macho, the cream will eventually rise to the top and you'll be caught up in no time (I said, as I'm currently on episode 138 after having started a re-watch on New Year's Day 2024).

So you'll see, though, that the very early parts of the program go incredibly quick and we don't spend a whole lot of time on passages like this. I forget when the Prologue was added, if that was there in 1954 or not, but in Concerning Hobbits we get a bit about "mathoms" which are the kind of gift you describe. But I would agree that for the Hobbits it was certainly more about act of giving. Though they did also very much like receiving gifts, unless, of course, Bilbo leaves a rather pointed note attached to them.

 

[Bruce N H]

We were way too hasty in the early days of Exploring. We need to go back and start over from A Long Expected Party and do it right.