So we finally did it.

I’ve been wanting to do this forever, and it made me ridiculously happy to finally have a free day to enjoy a full Lord of the Rings marathon, complete with all seven Hobbit meals.

A little history on the “seven meals”

The idea of Hobbits eating seven times a day mostly comes from fan culture and the Peter Jackson films, building on Tolkien’s constant reminders that Hobbits adore food. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien famously notes that Hobbits are fond of “six meals a day (when they could get them).” The movies, of course, immortalized the extra one, Second Breakfast, and from there, the full “seven-meal” tradition took on a life of its own.

The plan

We committed to the extended editions, and we knew this was going to be an all-day, no-interruption kind of event. So we started bright and early, with The Fellowship of the Ring rolling at 7:30 AM.

Here’s how we scheduled the day (and yes, eating on a timetable somehow made it feel even more like an adventure):

7:30 AM — Start The Fellowship of the Ring

Breakfast: Coffee + a strawberry cream cheese pastry

9:30 AM — Second Breakfast

Menu: Eggs, tomatoes, and nice crispy bacon
(Yes, it was said out loud exactly like that.)

11:00 AM — Start The Two Towers

11:30 AM — Elevenses

Menu: Lembas bread + cranberry & brie pastry bites

1:00 PM — Luncheon

Menu: Assorted meats and cheeses with crackers
Simple, snackable, and perfect for staying glued to the screen.

2:30 PM — Start The Return of the King

Afternoon Tea

Menu: Wild berry tea + Hershey Kiss cookies + ube crinkle cookies
This was the “comfort and courage” portion of the day, because if you know, you know.

4:00 PM — Dinner

Menu: Chicken pot pie
Warm, hearty, and exactly what you want when things in Middle-earth are getting intense.

6:00 PM — Supper

Menu: Ham & Swiss sliders on brioche, brushed with lemon-garlic butter
Honestly? A very strong finish.

6:30 PM — By this point, we were deep into the final stretch, emotional, full, and fully committed. It felt cozy and epic at the same time, which is basically the most Hobbit thing possible. It always gets me in the feels when I see the ship sail out of the Grey Havens and Into the West.

If you’ve ever wanted to turn a movie marathon into an experience, I cannot recommend this enough. It made the whole day feel like a little tradition, something special instead of just “watching movies.” And I already know I’m going to want to do it again.