For three years, my Christmases were inextricably linked with Lord of the Rings.
The movies came out late in December, about a week before Christmas,
and because everything was so hectic and the five of us wanted to see it
together, the latest installment in the Peter Jackson adaptation of my
favorite book became my big thing to look forward to in the immediate
aftermath of the holiday. Then, too, there were the deluxe DVDs that
made their way under my tree, as well as some lovely tie-in products.
Burger King especially kept me hopping in 2001 when it came out with
four light-up goblets and an extensive array of figures with talking
bases that formed a circle around a base featuring the Ring. I managed
very poorly with collecting those; one of these days, eBay will help me
correct that frustration.
While the three Christmases
coinciding with the films’ release were the most Tolkienish, various
companies have seen to it that a plethora of Lord of the Rings
products remain available after the fact. Working at a calendar kiosk,
I’ve seen all sorts of attractive calendars come through; this year, I’m
intrigued by one that tells the story of Fellowship of the Ring
from beginning to end, taking us through the year in the process.
Meanwhile, I’ve seen some pretty fun figures grace the toy stores. And
of course, Hallmark couldn’t resist such a juicy commodity, so a few
famous Middle-earth residents have become available for relocation to
waiting Christmas trees.
In 2005, Gandalf the Grey found his
way into our house. Most of our Hallmark boxes are marked with the
recipient and the date, but a name is curiously absent from this one,
which leads me to suspect that I was the gift giver rather than the
recipient in this case. So the ornament belongs to either Dad or me, and
as long as we share a living room it doesn’t make much difference. He
comes in a festive burgundy box, the back of which provides, in one
lengthy sentence, an explanation of Gandalf’s importance in The Lord of the Rings.
Included is a Memory Card, which shows a picture of the ornament on the
front and space to write about the ornament, as well as who gave and
received it, on the back. Obviously this is a feature we failed to take
advantage of, but it’s a nice idea, and I’m not sure why only some
Hallmark ornaments have them. Or maybe it’s simply a new inclusion, and
all of them do nowadays. Anyway, I think it’s a cool little addition.
Gandalf has three distinct personalities in Jackson’s films. In The Two Towers,
he is transcendent and distant. Having recently been resurrected, he
barely seems to connect with his own identity. “Gandalf... Yes, they
used to call me that...” he muses at one point when his astonished
friends identify him. Garbed in dazzling white and immaculately groomed,
he seems more angel than man. In Return of the King, there is
still much of this, but the wizard has had ample time to adjust now, and
some of his old personality returns, particularly in his disgruntled
confrontations with impetuous Pippin Took.
I love Gandalf in all his forms. But Fellowship
Gandalf is definitely my favorite. Stooped and disheveled, affectionate
and grumbly, he seems much more human in the first film, making him all
the more approachable, all the easier to love. This ornament captures
him perfectly. Tall and majestic at about five inches in height, he
stands with his arms bent and his feet all but invisible under the many
folds of his thundery grey cloaks. The ornament is only him, with no
base, but the bottom of his robe is a flat base in itself, about an inch
and a half by an inch and three quarters, with just the tip of his
brown left shoe peeking out.
Of course, Gandalf the Grey comes
complete with a full, scraggly beard, the color of which is slightly
lighter than his robes. There’s a slight sadness about his face, with
its craggy lines and small mouth that is nearly swallowed up by his
beard and mustache. His eyes gaze out from underneath bushy eyebrows,
and overshadowing it all is his iconic hat, with its wide brim and long,
pointy top. Turn him around, and you’ll see his hair trailing into his
hood, which hangs down, unused.
Almost all of his other
features are obscured by his well-weathered clothing, but both of his
hands are visible. The right one cradles a long, thin brown pipe, while
he clutches his brown staff in his left hand. While there is nothing
specifically Christmassy about him, he looks to me like he has just
turned up at Bilbo’s door for a friendly visit, and if Christmas existed
in Middle-earth, this is exactly how I would expect to find him when
paying a holiday call. One might even imagine that the brown satchel
slung across his waist contains gifts. Take it a step further, and
Gandalf could easily pose as Father Christmas.
At the same
time, because this is just the wizard exactly as he appears in the
movie, one could easily leave him up year-round, setting him on a shelf
or desk someplace where he can overlook the room. I haven’t done so in
the past, but looking at him now I wonder whether I ought to start. It
might be a bit late to order him now in time for Christmas, but of all
the ornaments I can think of, Gandalf may be the one who would be most
suitable as a gift any time of the year. After all... “A wizard is never
late... nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.”
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