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One of my Christmas traditions is buying myself a present, the Official Tolkien Calendar for the year ahead. As a massive fan of this author's works, I love marking a change of every month with a new piece of artwork from Middle-earth. With each new year comes a new set of stunning illustrations, thematically set around one of Tolkien's books, and it always feels like a lovingly crafted gift for gamers and fans to enjoy.
This year, Harper Collins has chosen to base the calendar around the three "Great Tales" of Middle-earth, which Tolkien wrote as precursors to the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They form the basis of the later parts of The Silmarillion, and are better known by their colloquial names, The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, and The Fall of Gondolin.
Every year, the Tolkien calendar pulls artwork from some of the most influential artists and illustrators in the Tolkien-sphere. This year, it features work from Alan Lee, who helped to illustrate some of the first publications of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Christopher Tolkien's First-Age works. Lee also helped Peter Jackson with concept art for the timeless on-screen adaptations. The artist even gives a foreword, which gives a lot of insight into how he's gone about crafting the imagery for Tolkien's books.
"I'm not always comfortable with the idea of illustrating novels," Lee says. "But J.R.R. Tolkien's works seem closer in spirit to the myths and legends that I loved as a child. It is highly visual but the descriptions are poetic - unlaboured and evocative, rather than detailed and circumscribing. This is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the books for me, and is something I aim at in the illustrations."
If you haven't previously dived into stories from Middle-earth's First Age, the three Great Tales will likely be the ones to pique your interest. I know The Lord of the Rings has its fair share of dark moments, but what surprised me upon a first reading of The Silmarillion was how dark it all got. The Children of Hurin, for example, feels oddly Shakespearean, involving a cursed family, a giant slug dragon, and even incest - how very Game of Thrones. A father is literally imprisoned by Morgoth (the Dark Lord before Sauron) and made to watch his family go through a life of torture before he's finally allowed to die.
Beren and Luthien isn't quite so dark. It was partly inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's own marriage. It tells the story of a man, Beren, who falls in love with Luthien, the most beautiful Elf to ever grace Arda. He asks Thingol, the high king of the Elves, for her hand in marriage, and mockingly, he's told that the price will be one of the Silmarils from Morgoth's crown. This tale is heavily referenced in The Lord of the Rings, and it shares a lot of parallels with Aragorn and Arwen's romance.
The Fall of Gondolin is action-packed and is a massively pivotal point in the Elves' war against Morgoth. The hidden city of Gondolin, one of the last strongholds for Elves, is discovered by the forces of evil, and a massive battle ensues. My favorite moment from this tale adorns the front of the calendar this year, and it's Glorfindel singlehandedly taking on a Balrog - a battle which he wins, but later dies from (a bit like Gandalf). In the books, Glorfindel comes back to life in The Lord of the Rings and takes Arwen's place saving Frodo from the Ringwraiths in the Fellowship.
Anyway, enough of my rambles about how amazing the First Age of Middle-earth is. I buy the official Tolkien calendar every year, and I never regret it. There's something about marking each month with a new Tolkien illustration that feels like self-care.
Each new page has a caption, a quote from one of the books that was used to inspire the artwork you'll be looking at for the next month. If you're yet to grab a physical calendar, one like this can be a really nice decoration - and let's not forget that they have a practical use as well. Instead of a shared digital calendar on your phone, a communal calendar with the people you actually live with can feel more personal and heartfelt.
Not to mention, you're directly supporting the work of Tolkien, his estate, and the long-standing artists who have helped to keep his world alive in our hearts for so long. All that, and you're not even spending $20.
- Official Tolkien Calendar 2026: $13.59 at Amazon
For more on wholesome nerdy gifts and memorabilia, take a look at our roundups of the best tabletop RPGs, the best lego sets, and the best board games.
