Christmas and The Lord of the Rings aren’t necessarily two things you would normally associate with each other, but when you think about it, the parallels are obvious. Both feature the (re)birth of a powerful mystical figure, both involve the triumphing of good over evil, and both feature a cheerful chap with a big white beard dispensing gifts (or fireworks) for all the happy children.
This is the thing about The Lord of the Rings: its enduring popularity simply refuses to fade after all this time. Practically everyone in the world is either a fan or else knows someone who is, ensuring a perpetual market for all things Tolkien-based. If you’re looking for the best Lord of the Rings gifts for Christmas this year, check out what we’ve mined.
1. Lord of the Rings Prancing Pony Tankard
It’s an established fact of the genre that nobody in the realm of fantasy has decent access to crystalware. Instead, it’s tankards, horns and goblets all the way, filled with mead and bashed together as men sing songs about pillage, plunder and how much they hate those pesky orcs and dragons.
Having a tankard makes you feel like a proper adventurer, whereas one sporting the sign from the Prancing Pony is a great way to identify yourself as a proper Rings aficionado. Admittedly, this particular tankard is made of wood rather than, say, pewter, but that’s only so it can go into your decidedly non-fantastical dishwasher.
2. TUBBZ Lord of the Rings Gollum Bath Duck
TUBBZ Lord Of The Rings Gollum Collectible Duck Vinyl Figure – Official Lord Of The Rings Merchandise – TV Movies & Books : Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games
Every right-minded person knows that showers, while important and usually more energy efficient, are no match for the mighty bath. Baths are great. You can’t read, eat or have candles in the shower, all drawbacks that make bathing the vertical self-washing method of choice.
No bath is complete without a duck mascot to adorn it, and what could be better than TUBBZ’s truly disturbing Gollum-duck hybrid, a Wellesian nightmare who will bring a little deranged energy to the bathroom? Or, if you prefer, you can always choose the complementary Gimli figure. ready to protect your private ablutions with his axe in his hand.
3. What About Second Breakfast Baking Spoon
Peregrin Took is the unquestionable fulcrum of the entire Lord of the Rings saga, anchoring the narrative through his love of vegetable larceny, beautiful set of falsetto pipes and inordinate obsession with all things comestible. Forget Aragorn, Frodo or Gandalf, Pippin is the real MVP.
Like the finest thinkers and heroes, Pippin’s wisdom echoes through the ages. His most famous aphorism, “what about second breakfast?”, serves as a reminder to us all to never settle for a single morning meal, whether we’re busy making breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner or supper.
4. Witch King of Angmar Official Funko POP Figurine
Funko POP! figurines are huge right now, capitalizing on the well-known scientific fact that geeks, nerds and fandoms love collecting things, a fact that the good people at Funko have happily exploited with their massively popular POP! collectables.
You can have pretty much any figurine you like from the trilogy, including Aragorn, Frodo, Gimli, Gandalf or Gandalf on an eagle, but the Witch King of Angmar, flaming sword in hand, is just a little bit special and Lord of the Rings gift worth adding to your basket.
![POP Lord of The Rings - Witch King of Angmar [Ringwraiths] Funko Pop! Vinyl...](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41rQHThvSGL._SL75_.jpg)
5. Monopoly: Lord of the Rings Edition
Standard Monopoly is all well and good, but it needs a bit of Middle-earth magic to spice things up. That’s where the LOTR Monopoly set comes in. The property value rankings are a little odd, going more off the chronology of the narrative than how nice the places would actually be to live in, but other than that, it’s the board game you know and love adapted for the franchise you adore.
There’s also a Lord of the Rings version of Risk available for board game aficionados, but nothing beats a good adaptation of Monopoly to divide families and make your angry uncle throw the board across the room at Christmas.
6. The Noble Collection One Ring Replica
Poor old Gollum spent pretty much his entire waking life trying to get hold of the One Ring, literally throwing himself into the fires of Mount Doom to be reunited with the most coveted piece of jewelry in all fantasy fiction.
What he should’ve realized, however, is that he could have just gone on Amazon and bought it for 50 dollars instead. Stainless steel, officially licensed and forged by the Noble Collection, he must feel like such a fool right now.
7. Shire Pipes Gandalf’s Pipe Replica
What makes Gandalf such an iconic character isn’t his beard or his powers or the fact that he literally came back from the dead, it’s his unerring relatability. Deep down, the big G is just one of the boys.
Smuggling illegal fireworks, having a drink with the lads and, of course, smoking more than Snoop Dog’s chimney, Mithrandir lights it up like the best of them. Obviously, smoking is a terrible, fatal habit and this is just a prop replica, so it’s best to put on a pointy hat and just pretend.
8. Lord of the Rings Unisex Christmas Jumper
The novelty Christmas jumper market has gone completely rogue. It used to just be a few slightly garish patterns or maybe a picture of a penguin emblazoned on the front, but now you can have anything strewn across your festive sweater.
Why not, then, have the entire fellowship silhouetted behind the flaming eye of Sauron? It’s utterly horrific in the greatest possible way. Forget five gold rings on your search for the best LOTR gifts. You only need one.
9. Lord of the Rings 3000 Piece Jigsaw
This might not be the place to admit it, but sometimes you need to unplug the TV and the PlayStation, switch off your phone and just go back to basics. In the digital age, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with returning to more traditional pastimes.
Once you get over the initial frustrations, jigsaws are a great way to relax, unwind and let your brain focus on doing something utterly needless but unquestionably rewarding. With 3000 pieces displaying your favorite characters from the trilogy, this is the puzzle to go for.
10. LOTR Playing Cards
Playing cards have been around for centuries, entertaining everybody from country squires to noble lords. With literally thousands of games to choose from and infinite variations therein, you could spend your entire life playing cards and still not scratch the surface of one of the world’s most enduring hobbies.
There’s also just something really nice about having a decent deck, especially if it’s one that reflects your hobbies, loves and interests. A great stocking filler for fans of the films.
11. Lord of the Rings Top Trumps
Find the intricacies of card games a little much, or else just looking for something a little bit less taxing for the old cranium, Top Trumps has you covered.
The Top Trumps series has been around forever. You can get UK Prime Minister Top Trumps, serial killer Top Trumps, Dictator Top Trumps and Ancient Egypt Top Trumps. Lord of the Rings Top Trumps is where it’s at though, ranking characters on their size, strength, bravery, magic and fear factor. As you might expect, Gandalf is severely OP.
12. Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition
We never said that all of these items had to be bits of merchandise. Shadow of War remains one of the best Lord of the Rings tie-in games ever made, and with thousands of players still logging on to their PS4s every single day, it’s hardly a redundant choice. It also works great on PS5.
What’s great about Shadow of War is that it expands the lore without ever losing sight of the spirit of Tolkien’s work or the film adaptations. Shadow of Mordor was a masterpiece, and Shadow of War is another fine addition to the LOTR tie-in tradition.
13. Lord of the Rings Map of Middle Earth Sherpa Blanket
Winter is here, meaning that temperatures will soon begin to drop and people will be huddling on their sofas looking to escape the icy cold outside.
This inevitably means you or a loved one will need a nice fleecy blanket as you cosy up by the fire in the depths of winter. Machine washable, water repellant, made of a silky soft fleece and sporting a full map of Middle-earth, you’ll be warmer than the fires of Mount Doom.
14. Lord of the Rings Heat Changing Mug
Heat-revealing mugs are a novelty, but there’s something inherently satisfying about seeing the trick work every single time when you pour yourself a lovely brew.
A Lord of the Rings-themed mug is good, but one that slowly reveals its hidden features and colors as it warms and/or cools, just like the Ring does in the actual movies? Amazing. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s absolutely massive and adorned with beautiful Tengwar script.
15. Tree of Gondor Adult Short Sleeve T-Shirt
Official merchandise can often stray to the wrong side of tacky, especially with regard to clothing, but the iconic Tree of Gondor is such an aesthetic symbol that it genuinely looks like it belongs on the front of any t-shirt, hoodie or casual sweater.
Available in sizes ranging from small to XXXL and with a choice of black, charcoal, maroon or navy, it’s the ideal choice for lounging around your Hobbit hole or taking an unexpected adventure to the corner shop.
16. Official Sting Replica Letter Opener
If you’re the sort of person who a) still frequently receives actual letters and b) opens those letters with an actual letter opener, you probably thought your life couldn’t get any cooler.
You thought wrong, because if there’s one thing that’s cooler than a letter opener it’s an authentic Sting-themed letter opener. A great gift to yourself or a particularly popular loved one, the only drawback is that it doesn’t glow blue when orcs are near.
17. Star Cutouts Ltd Gandalf Cutout
Ok, so technically this is a cutout of Gandalf as he appears in the Hobbit movies rather than in the original Rings trilogy, but there’s no need to split hairs. Gandalf is Gandalf, no matter which franchise he appears in.
Plus, Gandalf the Grey is still a little bit cooler than Gandalf the White. There’s something about the classic wizard look, complete with pointy hat and worn-out robes, that gives Mithrandir that comforting paternal aura. Pop him in your hallway and enjoy the feeling of security.
18. Lego Lord of the Rings Shelob Attacks Set
There’s nothing in this world that isn’t improved by being scaled down and rendered as an official Lego set: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, even Minecraft has got in on the act.
Aside from some genuinely great Lord of the Rings Lego video games, there are loads of superb officially branded Lego sets to choose from on Amazon and beyond. They’re all great if you like your sets to follow a specific theme, but the Shelob assemblage is a standout, if only for Frodo’s terrified little plastic face. Poor chap.
19. Official Tree of Gondor Branded Phone Case
Available for practically every smartphone model after the iPhone 6, the Tree of Gondor phone case promises to “show your friends where your allegiance lies within Middle-earth”. I’m not sure there were that many references to phone networks in Tolkien’s original works, but the point stands nonetheless.
Adorned with the beautiful Tree of Gondor sigil, not only is the case scratch-resistant, it’s also shock resistant, hardy and fully drop-proof. It’s like mithril for your phone, except not as shiny.
20. The Lord of the Rings Illustrated Hardback Trilogy
For all this talk of novelty pipes, rubber ducks and 1000-piece jigsaw sets, there can still be nothing better than the actual books themselves. After all, isn’t that the whole point?
Tolkien’s seminal masterworks have been available in countless iterations and editions, but very few are as lovingly made as those in store from Blackwells. Hardbacked, edged in gold and featuring Tolkein’s original drawings illustrated in color, these are the sorts of books you cherish for a lifetime.
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