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.

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.

The 2025 edition pays homage to The History of Middle Earth, which is a 12-volume series of books published after JRR Tolkien's passing but collated and edited by his son Christopher. I'll tell you why, from my perspective, this is a must-buy gift for any Tolkien fan in a second, but before I get started, let's look at the specifics of the deal.

Should you buy the Official Tolkien Calendar for 2025?

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.

Physical calendars can seem surplus to requirements these days. With smartphones providing access to digitally synchronized schedules that update automatically, it's hard to see the need for a physical one you pin up on the wall. Some may argue they're a relic of a bygone age; something that should not have been forgotten, but were lost.

A couple of years ago however, when chance came, I was browsing a local bookshop between Christmas and New Year. It was then that I stumbled upon the Official Tolkien Calendar for the first time, which, in 2021, sported 13 stunning bits of artwork that celebrated The Unfinished Tales. Having just finished a full run-through of the LOTR audiobooks and The Silmarillion, I was easily ensnared by the cover image which showed the infamous Blue Wizards jaunting across a hilltop.

Since then, I've made buying this lovely tribute to Tolkien's works a yearly tradition. I take real joy every month from flipping the page and discovering a new illustration that beautifully captures a scene from my favorite author's legendarium.

Whether it's for you or the nerdy loved one in your life, the great news about these calendars is that they come remarkably cheap. This year's calendar will only set you back $14/£10.99, which is way more affordable than most gifts for gamers at this time of year.

These calendars always feature work from iconic artists within the Tolkien community. Ted Naismith and Alan Lee provided concept art that Peter Jackson used to build his cinematic masterpieces, and the two have been pivotal figures in bringing these calendars to life each year. 

One of my personal favorite things about these almanacs is that they always feature a foreword that goes into detail about the specific book that a year's calendar is centered on. Reading this before I pin the thing up on the wall is such a wholesome way to kick off the year, and often goes hand-in-hand with a Christmas rewatch of the films.

In 2024, the calendar will contain 13 paintings that depict the legendary Fall of Numenor, otherwise known as the Akalabeth. For that reason, this is a particularly good year to grab one - with a new series of The Rings of Power beckoning which is sure to show off this period of Arda's history, the official calendar will be a great companion.

Whether or not the show tries to be accurate is another story, but either way, my point stands.

I suppose the main question for you buying one of these will be to do with the original problem I mentioned about physical calendars. Even if I don't use the Official Tolkien Calendar to map out my daily schedules, it is a beautiful way to frame each month of the year, and I'm a firm believer that you can never have too much nerdy wall art.

To be completely honest though, I think physical calendars do still have their uses. If you live with flatmates, or you and your family need a better way to communicate your movements, I think using a calendar like this can be very helpful. If you need the living room TV for a LOTR movie marathon one night, what better way is there to reserve the room than writing a friendly reminder on your communal calendar?

Long story short, I love the Official Tolkien Calendar. If you have some Christmas pocket money left over going into the new year, I'd recommend it to any fellow Tolkien fan.

Gearing up for that Jackson trilogy marathon? Get set with the best gaming TV, the best HDMI cable, or the best 120Hz 4K TV.