This is the perfect Christmas gift for any Tolkien nerd, and it's under $15

Artwork of Melkor treating with Ungoliant in the first age of middle earth, by John Howe for the Official Tolkien Calendar 2025 — (Image credit: Amazon / Harper Collins)

Christmas shopping on a budget can be really tricky, but I'm about to make it easier. If you know a special someone on your shopping list is a big fan of The Lord of the Rings, the Rings of Power, or Tolkien's wonderful fantasy books, I have the perfect present idea for you. And unlike a lot of specialist nerdy merch, this is refreshingly affordable.

The official Tolkien Calendar is something I treat myself to every year because I'm obsessed with his legendarium. Right now, the 2025 edition only costs $13.59 at Amazon down from its regular $16.99 price, and it'll arrive in time for December 25 if you order now. For LOTR geeks like me, this calendar is gold dust for so many reasons, but when it comes in under $15 it's a no-brainer.

Official Tolkien Calendar 2025 | $16.99 $13.59 at Amazon
Save $3 - If you time it right, you can always find the Tolkien calendar at this sort of price each year. I've been buying these for over three years now, and they never disappoint or fail to make their value back as a collector's item.

Buy it if:

✅ You're looking for an affordable Christmas gift
✅ You're a fan of Tolkien
✅ You want to know more about the history of Middle Earth

Don't buy it if:

❌ You're expecting official Rings of Power artwork

UK: £10.11 at Amazon

Should you buy the Official Tolkien Calendar for 2025?

Two pages from 2025's Official Tolkien Calendar on top of a blurred map of middle earth — (Image credit: Amazon / Harper Collins)

Physical calendars are often viewed as pointless in this day and age of digital calendars and planners we carry around with us on our phones. I disagree though, because with Tolkien's Official calendar hanging on my wall, each new month has a distinct feel to it. If you live with someone else, you can also use a physical calendar to write reminders of things you do together.

From the Tolkien-obsessed point of view though, the official Tolkien calendar is akin to the best gifts for gamers. It features authentic paintings and illustrations from veteran Tolkien artists like John Howe, who helped Peter Jackson with concept art for his films. Not only that, but each piece of art has a small blurb beneath it which puts it into context from a novel or tale from Tolkien's works. I love these in particular because even if it's a more obscure tale from the Silmarillion I may have forgotten about, I feel like I'm pouring over old maps or reading old Ring lore by candlelight in the bowels of Minas Tyrith.

With 2025's edition, you get a foreword from Brian Sibley, who's written countless adaptions and guidebooks for various Lord of the Rings books. Perhaps most notably, he wrote a biography of Peter Jackson and edited the book The Fall of Numenor before its release in 2022.

With such an affordable price tag, this is the sort of authentic, loving gift you can get someone special in your life that isn't going to keep you from being able to spend money on other people too.

Looking for something for the gamer in your life? Check out the best PS5 gifts, the best Xbox Series X gifts, and the best Nintendo Switch gifts.

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One of my earliest memories is playing SuperMario64 and wondering why the controller I held had three grips, but I only had two hands. Ever since I've been in love with video games and their technology. After graduating from Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in Journalism, I contributed to the Scottish Games Network and completed an Editorial Internship at Expert Reviews. Over the last decade, I’ve been managing my own YouTube channel about my love of games too. These days, I'm one of the resident hardware nerds at GamesRadar+, and I take the lead on our coverage of gaming PCs, VR, controllers, gaming chairs, and content creation gear. Now, I better stop myself here before I get talking about my favourite games like HUNT: Showdown, Dishonored, and Towerfall Ascension.