The ostensible heroes of the story are also Middle-earth’s most unassuming race, the Hobbits, who are underestimated for much of the trilogy by the other creatures of the realm. Though Frodo Baggins gives in to the temptation of the One Ring of Power as he enters Mount Doom, the theme of the meekest among Middle-earth being best-positioned to deliver salvation has a wide appeal. Frodo is set up as something of a messianic figure, which is also in line with Christmas’ messaging, even if it’s the lowly Gollum that ultimately saves the day. Truly, it is the meek that inherit the Earth.
Those Judeo-Christian themes certainly aren’t included in the movies by accident. Tolkien was himself a lifelong devout Roman Catholic who imbued his work with his theological outlook. From the death and resurrection of Gandalf over the course of the trilogy to grace and humility triumphing over the temptation of pride, as embodied by Boromir’s fall to its temptation for the One Ring and his later redemption, there are plenty of Christian sentiments throughout The Lord of the Rings. Frodo and Sam endure their own grueling walk to Golgotha, so to speak, but instead of a wooden cross, it’s a small golden ring, with Frodo sacrificing a piece of himself to save the forces of good.
As secular as Christmas may have become, particularly in regards to its widespread commercialization, it is still fundamentally a Christian holiday. This parallel in themes of salvation and good triumphing from evil helps solidify The Lord of the Rings movies’ connection with the Christmas season, even with the apparent lack of an explicitly divine presence in Middle-earth.
A Timeless Classic
Even two decades later, people still look back at the Lord of the Rings trilogy fondly and its reputation has only grown stronger as high fantasy movies and TV shows have flourished in recent years. Less than a decade after The Return of the King left theaters, HBO launched Game of Thrones, while shows like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power keep Tolkien in the public consciousness. Thanks to healthy fan interest, The Lord of the Rings never felt like it faded in relevance, but has become something of a cultural touchstone.
People still share memes based on The Lord of the Rings, indeed some of the first generation of widespread online memes involved the trilogy. This includes remixing dialogue and scenes from the movies to create an impromptu song of Legolas declaring, “They’re taking the hobbits to Isengard” or Sam informing us of the many uses of potatoes, “to boil them, mash them, stick them in a stew.” These memes help keep movies alive in a good-natured and proto-viral sort of way.
Another factor in The Lord of the Rings’ enduring appeal also comes from the sheer quality behind the ambitious production. Having approximately a year of post-production per film really gave the filmmakers time to polish the movies, with Jackson filming six weeks of additional photography for each installment. This attention to quality really gives the Lord of the Rings trilogy a timeless appeal that stood out at a time when Hollywood was leaning more into CG, like with the Star Wars prequels which were running concurrently in the early 2000s. By contrast, Jackson kept quite a bit of his work in-camera rather than adding everything in post-production.
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