Looking for a way to settle the kids down this evening in anticipation of the big guy coming down the chimney tonight? Sudbury author Jeremy Dunton is back with a new story, a Christmas one this time, but with a nod to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”
Produced by video conferencing company Iotum, "Merry Christmas Mr. Baggins" is the story of a long family car ride to see the in-laws at Christmas (based on the author's real life commutes through cold snowy Northern Ontario).
When the father and his young son are the last two people awake in the car, dad puts on an audio tape of "The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien.
“The classic fantasy novel becomes a bonding moment for the dad and son, and a tradition for the pair to listen to the book each year at Christmas,” Dunton told Sudbury.com “A tradition that lasts for generations and brings the father and son together in an unlikely way.”
A bit of a departure from the usual Christmas story, the tale is a reminder of “the joy of the season, the importance of family, and the traditions that bring us all together.”
“I have been a Tolkien fan since I was a kid. Just like the Dad in the story it was the first ‘real’ book I remember reading,” Dunton said. “The idea for ‘Merry Christmas Mr.Baggins’ grew out of my pleasure sharing the story of The Hobbit with my kids. I was able to combine that with the memory of many VERY long drives we did as a family when I was a child.
“Strangely one of this things I’m going to miss this Christmas is not piling all the kids and luggage and presents into the family minivan and driving to Grandpa’s place for Christmas.”
The animation was provided by one of the talented people at FreeConference.com, Anton Strasburg.
“The reviews have been extremely positive,” Dunton said ”I had not realized how universal it is to feel that you always got the worst seat on the long car ride.”
What’s next for the Sudbury author? He’s currently turning his Christmas stories into a podcast (performing them is his favourite part of the process) and at the same time he’s having early talks with a large Canadian publisher about turning the collection in to book, with the goal to have it on the shelves for Christmas 2021.
Anyone can click and be treated to a free original Christmas story, just go to https://www.freeconference.com/freeconference-coms-christmas-story-hotline/ or if you’d rather call, you can use one of these free numbers US: 712-832-8555 | Canada: 867-292-5957 | UK: 0333-113-0054.
