Thanks to the Hollywood film The Lord of the Rings, a new generation of Americans has been introduced to hobbits. J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional creatures inhabit the Middle Earth and don't care much for adventures. But they are fond of giving gifts. Instead of receiving gifts on their birthday, hobbits have a tradition of giving gifts to other hobbits. Explaining this custom in The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien writes, "Every day in the year was somebody's birthday, so that every hobbit in those parts had a fair chance of at least one present at least once a week."