September 22, S.R. 1534 by Dreamflower

[dreamflower]

B2MeM Challenge: From indy1776: Family traditions, from the silly to the serious. Are the children read to at bedtime every night or do they exchange silly gifts on birthdays/Yule/etc. or do they light candles for deceased family on a certain day of the year? Maybe silly games like “pinch punch first of the month” or do they have a game night once a week? Or are there traditions for spotting the first spring flower, firefly, or something of that nature?
Something, anything about family traditions
Format: Drabble
Genre: Family,
Rating: G
Warnings: n/a
Characters: Frodo Gardner, Harding of the Hill
Pairings: n/a
Creators' Notes (optional): Why was the "Gardner" surname dropped after only two generations? I've speculated on that for a while. Perhaps Harding was a bit more socially ambitious than was usual in the family, and wanted to put certain bits of family history behind him.
Summary: For three generations the Toast on September 22 has taken place in Bag End. Will it continue to a fourth?


September 22, S.R. 1534

"To the byrdings, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, who sailed away eighty years ago, and to my father Samwise, who joined them nineteen years ago. We do not know their fate but we can hope they found what they were looking for across the Sundering Sea." Frodo Gardner held his glass high and drained it.

Harding dutifully drank, blushing with embarrassment. He'd only been a child when his great-grandfather had left. Now he glanced over at his betrothed. Lila looked amused; her father looked disgusted.

He'd put an end to this particular family tradition, once he was Master of the Hill.

Comments

[dreamflower]

I'd noticed it long ago, when I was researching hobbit surnames, and learned that there were very few "occupation names" among them. But while doing a bit of math on the family tree yesterday, this just struck me.

I don't the average hobbit ever understood what Frodo did, although I think his role was probably appreciated by the Tooks, Brandybucks and Gamgees of that first generation (and it doesn't appear that there were anymore Bagginses; the last Baggins appears to have been Ponto's daughter Angelica). But once those who had known the Travellers personally were no more, Frodo's role would have been completely forgotten except for the rare scholar who read the Red Book.