Andrea
· 2 December 2007
· Chapter 5: When In Buckland...
Pippin groaned. “I suppose that I might have looked a wee bit funny.”
ROTFL!!! Great story, G.W.!
So, they take sacks and put lit candles into them? I'm familiar with lanterns made out of coloured parchment paper. They burn very easily, too ;-) But they look grand!
What made me laugh most, was the fact that Pippin didn't put anything into the sacks to stabilize them! I would have liked to be one of the old gaffers! What a picture!
Thank you, G.W.!
Author's reply
It would have been funny to stand back and watch, wouldn't it? I can just see Pippin trying to keep all of the bags from being blown away by the wind. They are beautiful decorations but I don't have the nerve to set them up. I'd do what Merry did and more! LOL
shirebound
· 2 December 2007
· Chapter 6: Divide and Conquer
“I wish it were a clear night and that the stars were out,” Frodo sighed. “I wish you were in bed asleep, Peregrin Took.”
“There are stars!” Pippin objected. “They’re all over the place!” He spun in a circle with both arms out as he said this.
“I don’t see any stars,” Merry frowned looking up at the sky.
“Not those kind,” Pippin said. “Snow stars! All of the flakes look like little stars falling down.
This is adorable! I can never get enough of your cousin-y adventures, banter, and love.
Author's reply
Ah, thank you! I posted it to Hobbit Holidays a minute ago. It's not complete Yule-related but I thought it would qualify. Thanks for reviewing this! I'm glad you liked it.
frodo16424
· 2 December 2007
· Chapter 5: When In Buckland...
ROFLOL! Great story. I must agree - Merry won that "contest." Good thing I wasn't drinking or eating while reading. Thanks for the laugh.
Author's reply
Glad you got a laugh out of this one. Yes, I think Merry was the winner on this one. Pippin made a good effort but I'm thinking that neither of them need to be lighting these things! Too bad there are no electric lights. hehehe
harrowcat
· 2 December 2007
· Chapter 6: Divide and Conquer
Snow in most of it's forms is just lovely. And every Season is beautiful but i draw the line at the wind and sheeting rain that we have today when i have a rare Sunday afternoon off! Oh well more time to adore GW's lovely writing instead!
Author's reply
I am getting rain right now. I suspect that this will be a very nasty night. I'm glad not to be going out in it. I do love snow and we don't get it as often as we once did. (Global Warming!) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
harrowcat
· 2 December 2007
· Chapter 5: When In Buckland...
Oh. LOL! I've never used these lanterns although I've seen them so i would have probably been as bad as Pippin. I wouldn't have thought to put sand/stones in either!
Author's reply
My neighbors use these things at Halloween and I have always loved them but I know I would set something on fire with them if I tried them. LOL Pippin and Merry probably would be amused by my efforts if I ever got the nerve to try!
PIppinfan1988
· 31 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
*sniff, sniff*
That was so beautiful, G.W.! I really admire Pippin's courage in taking up the Shepards' watch with the sheep. I know Gandalf said that Pippin played truant in the woods quite a bit while growing up, but I don't think his family would have allowed him to get away with it. Nor, like what you just portrayed, to allow him to spend Yule all alone. I like to imagine that Pippin performed a few responsible and kind gestures such as one this pre-Quest.
The boredom Pippin was feeling--my gosh, that took me way back to standing roving watches--or worse, Quarterdeck watch. At least Pippin had sheep to entertain him, lol.
This was a very sweet tale--thank you for sharing it! :-)
PF
Author's reply
Aww, now you can't start the New Year off crying. I am so glad that you liked this one. I let Pippin's good intentions and his big mouth get him into something that he wasn't exactly pleased with but that he also felt was worth doing. I also think that he was a thoughtful young hobbit and that he did have things for which he was held accountable. I almost had Paladin turn up to watch the sheep but I decied that Paladin wouldn't be able to and still show any trust in Pippin. That was when I decided to send in the sisters and cousins!
I can just imagine how bored you must have gotten. I have no idea how you did it, and you did it without sheep! Thanks for reviewing!
GamgeeFest
· 31 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
What a lovely Yule party. I just knew that Merry and Frodo wouldn't let Pippin spend all of Yule alone with those dreadfully boring sheep. Pippin's poem was a hoot and I enjoyed the references to your other stories. Gandalf's voice was so very Gandalfy, lol.
Author's reply
I had fun mucking about with that poem while Pippin's sheep grazed or 'whatever it is that sheep do'. I love the word, "Gandalfy". It is the very first time anyone has used it in a review for one of my stories! I hope I see it again sometime. Thank you for reading and Happy New Year! (Oh, my new word for the holidays was 'Yule-ish' and so that may be why I like 'Gandalfy' so much.) Keep smiling and keep writing!
good_one_pip
· 25 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
oh, by the way, Merry Christmas!
Author's reply
Merry Christmas to you too!
Good_one_pip
· 25 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
Definitely caught the trust a Brandybuck and a Took references :) Does Pippin wear fingerless gloves in the movie? I never paid attention to that. Is the coat he got the same one that's in the movie? It's the right color, though I suppose he would grow out of it...
I love Pippin. letting his heart speak before he thinks anything through. That quality does help him save Middle Earth in a couple of years though.
I didn't know Pip was a poet. LOL! You must include more Pip poetry in the future. The Gandalf references were hilarious! Several times my family in the next room was asking what I was reading that was so funny.
Excellent story; made me feel warm and fuzzy inside ;) But then, how could reading a hobbit yule story on Christmas not make anyone happy?
Author's reply
In the movie, Pippin just has on regular gloves. I just use his dislike of gloves as coming from "Snow and Ice" in which he gets himself trapped out on the frozen Brandywine and later blames the mittens for his troubles. It has nothing to do with the films. Now, the coat was meant to be the same color at least as the one in the films. I thought that maybe Pippin would have a favorite color for coats and repeated have that color.
Poetry, as you could most likely tell, is not something that I am very skilled with. LOL
Glad you enjoyed Gandalf and that this story made you laugh. Thank you for the lovely review!
TopazTook
· 22 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
LOL - I love Pippin's inner Gandalf voice! And his Yule poem as well! What a nice holiday read!
Author's reply
LOL Thank you! I had fun with that inner Gandalf voice and as to that Yule Poem, well, I think it sounds remarkably like it was written by a drunken relative of Dr. Seuss, don't you? Thank you for the review and do have a very happy holiday season!
Lindelea
· 21 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
*snork*
Very Yuletidish and uplifting reading!
I loved Gandalf's voice (and Pippin's rejoinder, at the very end).
It was especially amusing, the way you wrote the hobbits emerging from the wagon, one by one, until the reader began to think, "Who's next? Just *how* many hobbits are *in* that wagon, anyhow?"
I love that your Pippin is a poor shot with a bow even though he's a good hand at casting a stone, and I love to see him shepherding sheep, for some reason...
Nicely done!
Author's reply
Oh, splendid! It was Yuletidish! I was trying for that very thing when I wrote this one.
I did think of making the voice Merry's but I decided that since Merry was turning up later, Gandalf had to make his way into this somehow. hehehe
I got a lot of Hobbits into that wagon and I find myself wondering if Merry and Pippin could have filled it back up with sheep, don't you? I don't think Frodo would have been amused.
I thought it might be interesting if Pippin, as someone who comes from a family known for its archers, had never mastered using a bow. I like mixing it up a bit and I don't remember him using a bow at all in the book. I decided that since he was later skilled with a blade that would be enough.
I loved your portion of "Thain" in which Pippin is living and working with the shepherd because I can't get enough of fat, fluffy, sheep grazing about in the Tooklands. I think of the Tooks with sheep and the Brandybucks with ponies and row boats. Your shepherd and his wife would have been stunned by Pippin's party amid the flock wouldn't they? Good thing the real shepherds were gone during that.
Thank you for the lovely reveiw!
Garnet Took
· 21 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
I had just written a review, and was trying to post it, when I hit the wrong button and blew it away. So I'll just say, wonderful story, and Happy Yule to you, and Errol, too.
Author's reply
Thank you for the review! I hate when that happens to my reviews. I write out just exactly what I want to comment on and then suddenly it's gone! Happy Yule to you and your family too! Errol sends holiday greetings and his hopes that your stocking is filled with carrots. (This is what Errol considers to be a very Merry Christmas!)
Pearl Took
· 21 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
Marvleous!! Wonderful!! Terrific!! Stupendous!! Hilarious!!
Full of wonderful lines but this one had me laughing heartily out loud:
"Pippin’s eyes popped open. “I wonder how many of them would fit in the wagon?”"
I've had a rather glum holiday season and all the stories I've been working on have been a bit glum as well. I have so appreaciated your Yule stories, Thank you, dear GW!!
Author's reply
I am so glad you enjoyed that line. It was one of my favorites because I could see Pippin and Merry loading up that wagon until it was one giant mass of woolly sheep! (Maybe this is the Hobbit verison of packing people into a VW!) I do hope your holiday gets merrier! Hugs and Hobbits to you and yours this holiday season and thank you for reading! (All year long.)
shirebound
· 21 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
“He had to bring me out here, didn’t he?” Frodo inquired as he climbed down from the back of the wagon and walked over to Pippin. “I told Merry that my holiday would not be complete unless he brought me out here so that I could see the sheep.” Frodo draped an arm around Pippin’s shoulders and gave him a hug. “Tell me, have I missed anything?”
Pippin laughed and leaned into his older cousin’s embrace. “It’s been one exciting thing after another. You know how it is with sheep.”
This is absolutely lovely. I love Pippin's generous heart, and the shepherds getting to spend Yule with their families, and the loving, teasing hobbits arriving to keep their young cousin company. Happy Yule to all!
Author's reply
I am so pleased that you enjoyed this one. I was beginning to think that I wouldn't be able to come up with a Yule story this year. Thank heavens for Sheep! hehehe
Thanks for reviewing an I hope you have a lovely holiday!
SlightlyTookish
· 21 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
Dear, sweet Pippin! This is a lovely tale, GW! I'm so glad he had a chance to celebrate too...and what a fun and hobbity celebration it was! Have a wonderful holiday, dear! *hugs*
Author's reply
I can pick on Pippin a bit but I can never let him suffer for too long. I just had to send his cousins to the rescue before he died of boredom among my lazy sheep. You have a wonderful holiday!
Bodkin
· 21 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
They just had to turn up, didn't they? They couldn't let the impetuous young Took spend the whole of Yule out there among the sheep on his own!
It could even become a tradition - that heading off out looking for stray shepherds.
It sounds as if they had more fun out in the fields than they would have done in the Smials. Although I don't think Frodo sounds the most enthusiastic of shepherds. Pippin seems a good deal closer to the sheep than his big cousin - probably something to do with his nature.
I love the repetition of the sheep doing whatever it is that sheep do. And the Gandalf-voice in Pippin's head is ... interesting!
The whole thing is just delightful really. I was wearing a big smile all the way through.
Author's reply
Oh, excellent, I made you smile! It could become a tradition, couldn't it?
Maybe for next Yule the whole group of Hobbits can come out and visit the shepherds.
I think that having lived on a farm, Pippin knew a bit more about the sheep than Frodo but Frodo was certainly willing to give it a try.
Sheep seem to make their way into a good many of my stories but they don't ever really do anything in them. Maybe real sheep are more active but my sheep seem to be fat and lazy so I thought, why not mention it? hehehe
As to the Gandalf voice, that was almost Merry in Pippin's head but I just found it more amusing to let it be Gandalf. Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for reviewing!
Bodkin
· 21 December 2006
· Chapter 3: Concerning Ladders
I do love this tale.
And the vision of Merry trying to wrap a ladder. Just a little too sure of himself at times, that Brandybuck!
Author's reply
Thank you! I am quite sure that wrapping the ladder was a lesson in itself for Meriadoc the Magnificent! LOL
harrowcat
· 21 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
Oh this is brilliant GW and so in character for Pippin, and the others! I just love Gandalf's voice too. This is going on my favourites list immediately.
Author's reply
I am honored to wind up on your favorites list! Thank you! (Did the Gandalf voice tell you to do that? hehehe)
Larner
· 21 December 2006
· Chapter 4: A Shepherd's Yule
Oh, how funny! Dear, dear Pippin and his sheep. And for once his big mouth did the right thing, before his family and younger friends added to it.
And bless Frodo for taking the second shift.
Author's reply
Thank you! I am glad that you enjoyed it. I think Pippin had seen just about enough of those sheep by the time Frodo showed up to relieve him, don't you? LOL Without his older cousins to help him out, Pippin might have just gone right on hearing that Gandalf voice and writing very bad Odes.
demeter d
· 19 December 2006
· Chapter 3: Concerning Ladders
Ah, so that is why Merry ended up on the roof with the tinsel the next year. Odd, isn't it, that a Brandybuck who can be quite adventurous in a boat can be so bothered by heights! I enjoyed watching him deal with the Grubbs. One can see the beginnings of the people management skills he will need one day as Master. The Grubbs reminded me of Edith and Archie Bunker of "All in the Family!" Very devoted to one another, but strong-willed none the less. It seems that Saradoc and Esmerelda consider Pippin just as much their son as Merry is. And I adore Esmerelda'a reply "that is a Mother's trick. Marry well and your own lass will tell you that". I also liked Mrs. Grubb's description of a charming Pippin helping her with her groceries. That's our Pippin. Again, it is so nice to have the link between the two pieces.
Author's reply
This is exactly the reason for Merry roof-top adventure. When Lindelea wrote that I could just see Pippin's reaction upon finding Merry in that position and I had to laugh. The Grubbs are a bit like Archie and Edith, aren't they? They were quite a handful for Merry but he did manage them and the practice is certainly something that he can use. (I dare say that Saradoc has had to practice on the Grubbs in the past and likely has his own tale to tell.) As to Esmeralda's remark, I do think that most often it is the mother who knows what is going on in the childresn's heads, don't you? Thank you for reading and for taking the time to leave a review!
demeter d
· 19 December 2006
· Chapter 2: Making Merry, Merry
Holiday Greetings, Grey Wonderer. Even though this has been around for two years, I only just found it from Lindelea's link. Thanks to the two of you for doing that. I want to share something. The Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a story about a family of London children who go the country
for safety during the Blitz. One of the brothers is about twelve or so, and is not impressed by some of the magical goings on that begin. Angela Lansbury as their countrywoman hostess sings a song about what he was going through, called "The Age of Not Believing." For me, that has crystalized that period that most of us go through as we grow and change. It ends on a hopeful note as she tells him that the day will come when he will start believeing again.
Your story has that same hopeful note. Merry learns, as we all must, to find our joy through others. Well done.
Author's reply
Holiday Greetings to you too and thank you for stopping by. I did think that the two stories should be linked, (Lindelea's drabble and my Ladders) because they go so well together. I think Lindelea did a lovely job and I was very pleased that she had written that.
I had forgotten that part of the movie. I loved that film but haven't seen it in ages. I will have to watch that again soon. I recall going through what Merry went through in this story and at the time I wrote it I had an on-line friend who was experiencing that let-down feeling. Thank you for the lovely review and the reminder of a favorite film!
Lindelea
· 19 December 2006
· Chapter 3: Concerning Ladders
(You're welcome!)
Thanks for the smile. I remembered this story from reading it last year, and appreciated the reminder.
You have such a touch for realistic dialogue! The old couple strike me as somebody I've known.
Author's reply
You gave me a big smile too with your drabble! I hide these Yule stories during the year and drag them out over the holiday because I am one of those nuts that only enjoy Yule stories during Yule. LOL
Thank you for saying such a sweet thing about my dialogue. My characters tend to talk alot, even the ones that aren't Tooks! Happy Holidays to you!
Pearl Took
· 19 December 2006
· Chapter 1: Deck The Halls
“So Frodo, are you going to tell me what you found?” Merry smirked, mischievously.
“Seems a bit pointless now, Meriadoc, but if you must know, I found a great many boxes in the cellar just filled with lovely Yule decorations!” Frodo said, sarcastically, as he helped Merry untie Pippin.
“Well, be careful with them, Frodo. If they are anything at all like these ones, then they could fall on you and you could get all hung up in them.” Pippin warned quite seriously.
*****************
LOL LOL LOL
Wonderful!! Delightful!! and Great Fun as well :-)
Author's reply
I'm glad this gave you a laugh. This was the first Yule fiction that I ever wrote and it is good to see that it still holds up well. Thank you for reading!
Pearl Took
· 19 December 2006
· Chapter 2: Making Merry, Merry
I don't recall reading this one before. I loved it!!! Yes, one does get to that odd point in life - several times as life goes through it's cycles. I've been in one of them this year and your stories are helping.
Thank you, Grey Wonderer!
Author's reply
I am so very glad that you are enjoying these this year. It has been one of those years here too and I am hoping for better things in the New Year. Thank you for the lovely review and I hope you enjoy your holidays, dear friend.
Pearl Took
· 19 December 2006
· Chapter 3: Concerning Ladders
Yes, I remember this story! I loved it before and I loved it now. Wonderful, wonderful and, yes, wonderful. And Lindelea's follow-up is perfect as well.
I do so love your stories, GW!
Author's reply
I was so pleased with Lindelea's drabble and I was glad she allowed me to link it here so that everyone could enjoy it. Glad you enjoyed reading this one again! And I love your stories too!