J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Born on January 3, 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien spent much of his life creating a world that still, almost fifty years after his death, is home to the imaginations of millions of readers and moviegoers as well as writers and daydreamers.
I, myself, was introduced to that world when my dad read aloud to us The Hobbit, when I was eight years old, and my brother was nine. We were entranced. I remember sitting and listening spellbound as Dad read to us after dinner every night, for I don’t know how long. And I, for one, believed every word of it.
Millions of us have had similar experiences reading or listening to or watching Tolkien’s tales of Middle-earth, from The Lord of The Rings trilogy to The Silmarillion and dozens more. And the works of others who were inspired by him are countless.
So have breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper, sing a song about smashing crockery and end the day with a tune evoking the long road that goes on and on, whither we know not.
If you feel so moved, the Tolkien Society suggests that you participate in the annual toast to Tolkien at nine p.m. your local time. Stand and raise a glass of whatever beverage you prefer—not necessarily alcoholic, anything festive will do—and simply say “The Professor!”