Lord of the Rings

Our 3rd Annual DC Tree Hike is back to illuminate your dark December night! This year, we're embracing the Norwegian concept of *'friluftsliv', (*"open-air life") - the love of the outdoors, despite the weather. Join us for a easy 4.5-mile hike around Washington, DC. We'll visit tree displays at Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, the Canadian Embassy, the Ellipse and City Center DC to take in all the sights and sounds of the winter season along Pennsylvania Avenue. We will start our hike outside of the Downtown Holiday Market adjacent to the National Portrait Gallery and Gallery Place Metro. Arrive early and enjoy the Downtown Holiday Market before the hike. We'll gather at the Portrait Gallery stairs on 7th and F Streets NW (across from Capital One Arena) We'll depart promptly at 6:30pm and keep a steady walking pace to keep our toes and hearts warm. In the spirit of the holiday season, the trip fee for this hike is only $1.\*\*(cash/electronic payments). RSVPs will open two weeks before the event. Please [click here](https://adventuringlgbtq.com/Adventuring_Release_Form.pdf) to review our release form. When you RSVP to an event, you affirm that you have read and agree to the terms of the release.

Come see the greatest Christmas story ever told: The 1988 action movie ***_Die Hard_***, starring Bruce Willis I'm not sure when this became a quiet American Christmas tradition, but I haven't seen this movie in decades and it's time to join the parade. - Sunjeev 6:40 PM showing Mon, Dec 22nd [Tickets and info](https://silver.afi.com/movies/detail/0100000082/) $14; Seniors $ 11 General seating / not reserved [Original 1988 trailer](https://youtu.be/jaJuwKCmJbY?si=6OVS0kq4tklcUlF9) [30th Anniversary trailer ](https://youtu.be/gYWvwkXreaI?si=AIdmMFB0qHV5-Xvq) [Xmas trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wi28Vsi_ZU) Join us at AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring. We'll meet at the box office at 6:15 PM, say a quick hello, grab our seats, and watch the 6:40 showing. Afterwards we can find our way to a local spot to talk about the movie and what other shows we might want to see. "In LA to visit his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia), tough-as-nails New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) barely has time to feel out of place at her company Christmas party before a band of terrorists takes the building hostage, demanding the $600 million in the company vault. Masterminding the plot is sophisticated villain Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman); bumbling the response are the LAPD and the FBI. McClane is in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he is the right man for the job, fighting his way through “40 stories of sheer adventure” in this supremely well-crafted, exciting and often hilarious thrill ride — much imitated, never equaled and still unsurpassed. DIR John McTiernan; SCR Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza, from the novel “Nothing Lasts Forever” by Roderick Thorp; PROD Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver. U.S., 1988, color, 132 min. RATED R "

**🎉 Book Swap: Bring Your Books to the The Potter's House Café & Bookstore! 📚** 📅 **Date:** Monday, December 22nd, 2025 🕒 **Time:** 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM 📍 **Location:** The Potter's House Café & Bookstore - 1658 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009 **Agenda:** * **6:00 PM - 6:30 PM** \- Check\-in and chat * **6:30 PM - 7:00 PM** \- Introductions * **7:00 PM - 8:00 PM** \- Book swap **Please note**: * Gently used books are ideal for swapping. * If a book you bring isn’t swapped, you will have the option to donate it to The Potter's House community shelf. * This is a “stay-and-swap” event, so please join with the intention of engaging and connecting with the group.

Come join and casually draft a vintage cube that is open to everyone. No cost to enter! The store provides promo booster packs and I usually throw in a pack of the most recent standard set to award to the people with the best records at the end of the night. [What is Cube?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNDBTRG6keM) What: Vintage Cube Draft When: 6:00pm Where: Your Hobby Place in Old Town Alexandria (Your Hobby Place, 700 N Washington St, Alexandria, VA 22314) We aim to start drafting shortly after 6:00pm as the store's register closes at 9:00pm. The store owner is kind enough to keep the space open for us to finish rounds. In previous events we've usually wrapped up around 9:45. All skill levels are welcome and all cards, lands, tokens needed are provided so you only need to bring yourself and potentially some dice and playmat if you prefer. The list can be seen here: [https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/proxybacon](https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/proxybacon) Join Your Hobby Place's Discord and grab the Cube Role in the mtg-chat channel for the most up to date information on cube at their location: [https://discord.gg/9je3G8vzXh](https://discord.gg/9je3G8vzXh) **Important Notice:** I have seen an increased number of signups and no shows amongst brand new accounts. In an effort to make sure we have room for everyone if this is your first time joining and you have just created a meetup account please reach out to me via Meetup or discord. **Late Policy:** RSVPing will hold your spot for up to 10 minutes after 6. If you expect you may be running late please reach out to me via the store's discord. My username is iluvbacon610.

Nemesis is a 1-5 player space survival game with incredible miniatures and clever, immersive rules that include cooperation, bluffing, backstabbing, and all other elements of an iconic science-fiction horror adventure. The crew Wakes up from hibernation. The damage report States there is a critical system failure and the ship cannot continue its cruise. The task to find the damage, repair it and safely return to earth. The problem: one crew member is dead. Somebody ripped open his hibernation pod and pulled his body out. To make matters worse, you can hear noises in the vast corridors of the ship. I'm not saying its aliens...

This hybrid of live action and animation is a celebration of everything absurd and ridiculous. Set in the 19th-century American northwest, where trading in beaver pelts was a primary source of income, it has a plot worthy of Saturday-morning cartoons, acting reminiscent of The Three Stooges, and nonstop idiocy influenced by Monty Python, Charlie Chaplin, Rube Goldberg, NASA, the Bible, Pee-Wee Herman, M. C. Escher, and the Keystone Cops. From initial chaos and confusion eventually emerges a plot, and as for the beavers… yes, they’re on their way, but there are plenty of other obstacles for the hero to tackle before they become a factor. There are only a few words of intelligible dialogue uttered during the entire movie, and some of the visuals are unintelligible too until some loony details are revealed. If you have a soft spot for silly movies, this one will land squarely on it, jump up and down, and probably leave a mark. ■ Title — *Hundreds of Beavers* ■ Director — Mike Cheslik ■ Cast — Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Olivia Graves, Doug Mancheski ■ Unrated, suitable for people who are tired of beaver-free movies ■ ©2022 \| 1h 48m \| Action\, Adventure\, Comedy ■ Watch free with ads on Cineverse: [https://www.cineverse.com/details/67dedb246a2b7e4fec2f84e6/hundreds-of-beavers](https://www.cineverse.com/details/67dedb246a2b7e4fec2f84e6/hundreds-of-beavers) ■ Watch free with ads on Tubi: [https://tubitv.com/movies/100026943/hundreds-of-beavers](https://tubitv.com/movies/100026943/hundreds-of-beavers) ■ Available free without ads to Kanopy subscribers (details below): [https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/14921257](https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/14921257) ■ Available free without ads to Amazon Prime members: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.d69b33f5-d238-4a6d-86ba-7e49ff5c7e05](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.d69b33f5-d238-4a6d-86ba-7e49ff5c7e05) ■ Kanopy streaming service is available free to holders of DC library cards. DC libraries will issue cards to residents of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and other nearby areas. Visit any branch to obtain your card. Kanopy is also provided free to Loudoun County library card holders who live, work, or study in Loudoun County. ■ As with most of our online features, you can watch this one whenever you like. Members who watch at the scheduled time may enjoy exchanging comments with other members on this page. If you post a comment before the show, please avoid spoilers. Comments posted after the show may contain any content, but Oddball Cinema encourages members to always avoid spoilers unless there’s some particularly important details you need to mention. ■ Many of the movies on our online events from as far back as March 2020 are still available for viewing. However, titles sometimes move from one streaming service to another. If you find that the links on an old event no longer work, you can search for the current providers of any title here: https://justwatch.com

Blast of Silence is a cult classic 1961 film noir, famous for being a gritty, super-low-budget noir set in New York City during Christmastime, featuring hitman Frankie Bono (Allen Baron) navigating holiday chaos while on assignment, offering bleak counter-programming to typical festive cheer with its existential dread and iconic narration. ■ Title — Blast of Silence ■ Director — Allen Baron ■ Cast — Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker ■ Rating: Not Rated ■ ©1961 | 1hr 17 mins | Neo-Noir

Whether you're new to Insight meditation or an advanced practitioner looking for like-minded people to sit with, you're welcome to join us at our Sunday morning drop-in group, sponsored by the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. Insight meditation cultivates our natural wisdom and compassion. Meditation practice develops concentration, which allows us to calm and steady the mind. This class includes a 30-minute lightly-guided meditation, followed by a short talk and time for questions and discussion. The size of the group usually runs somewhere between 25-40 people in-person and between 12-25 online. Chairs are provided, or you may bring a sitting cushion or bench. You may also use the blankets and bolsters offered by the yoga studio. **We offer both in-person and online attendance.** To learn more about our topics and teachers, view our videos or **get the Zoom link**, visit our [class page](https://imcw.org/event/?eventId=735&utm_source=MeetUp&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=vienna-drop-in).

**Screening Info:** This is a free screening on Christmas Eve. We are seeing the 4:50 PM showing at The AFI Silver on Wednesday, December 24. There are no seating reservations for this screening. The host will arrive around 4:15 pm. He will post after he arrives and after he has found his seat. He will provide details on what he's wearing closer to the date. Please use the Discord chat for faster communication. Discord information is below. **Order tickets here:** [https://silver.afi.com/movies/detail/0100001118/](https://silver.afi.com/movies/detail/0100001118/) **Be sure to select the screening on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at 4:50 PM. It's the last screening listed. It's the only one that's free.** **Synopsis:** Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a pure-hearted and eager-to-please giant elf who does not quite fit in at the North Pole. It turns out he is a human foundling, raised by Papa Elf (Bob Newhart), who must now venture to the Big Apple in search of his true identity and his biological father, cranky publisher Walter (James Caan). **Trailer:** [https://youtu.be/prmMRUZMfDY?si=k1oZlWl3ZToNjk0P](https://youtu.be/prmMRUZMfDY?si=k1oZlWl3ZToNjk0P) I will be checking the holiday hours of nearby restaurants for an optional dinner get-together. A #elf channel will be created on the GNO Discord server on the day of the event. It's to be used to help everyone communicate and find the group. Don't post spoilers until after the event. You can join the Discord server here: [https://discord.gg/d4e9MKScVP](https://discord.gg/d4e9MKScVP) (link should be permanent. Please let me know if it stops working) **--MEETUP INFORMATION--** **METRO:** The AFI Silver Theatre is located on Colesville Road, just two blocks north of Metro's Red Line station in Silver Spring. **PARKING:** AFI Silver Theatre is conveniently located near several public parking garages. Wayne Avenue Garage is located on Wayne Avenue, between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street. Town Square Garage is located on Fenton Street, between Roeder Road and Ellsworth Drive.

$5 MOVIE NIGHT! With avatar fire and Ash, James Cameron takes audiences back to Pandora in an immersive new adventure with marine turned Navi leader Jake Sully. Navi Warrior, Naytiri and the Solly family. The film has a screenplay by James Cameron and Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. We will see the 6 PM showing and I will post my seat so that we can sit together. We can grab something to eat after if people want and chat to round out the experience. This is a MUST SEE MOVIE for me. I hope you feel the same. I will CANCEL if there are less than 5 RSVPs on the movie date.

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/a/9/6/600_348310902.jpeg Instructor - Crow, HPS Class fee is $30 at the door or approved exchange RSVP with Advance pay of $25 (discounted) by PayPal on the web or by contacting Enchanted Elements (614) 437-2642. Reservations made directly to Enchanted Elements will be added to the class list manually not online. Private Instruction ~ Closed to the Public ~ Initiated Members Only Please come prepared for ritual. Blessings ~ Crow

We are a real world Martial arts group. \ Called DO JUNG ISHU (the art of fighting) \ Based off of Jeet kune do we just continued where Bruce Lee left off. \ We have been around a while. \ We are donation based. Every week we get together and work technical skills and live pressure testing. \ Almost all of the instructors have been in everything from altercations in the real world to the ring and some still compete in the cage. \ If you want to take your skills up, improve your confidence, gain self defense skills, get in better shape, test yourself or just want to kill some time and possibly get hit a bit come on down. \ We will be located at 3923 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214 inside the whetstone rec center in the auditorium, upstairs in classroom B or outside in the grass between the playground and horseshoe area. our instructors are normally in a black and red art of fighting shirt \ if you can not find us call or text me at 6143570295 Saturday 1pm Wednesday 5:30pm From Age 16 and up. attendees under the age of 18 must have a guardian with them. \ \ You must have a free leisure card for the rec center and must be registered for our class specifically .\ Wear workout clothing \ Bring a MOUTHPIECE! \ WE HAVE GLOVES. \ Hope to see you soon :-).\ We are run off of donations. \ let me know if you have any questions :)

Join us as we get together for an Oscar Watch film that’s also one of the year’s best: MARTY SUPREME! Timothee Chalamet delivers a “career-best performance” in this film that follows a young man with a dream no one respects, who goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness. Marty Supreme has already been named a Top 10 Film of the Year by IndieWire, Vulture, the BBC, Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair, the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute and is well on its way to being one of the most nominated films at this year’s Oscars! Here’s a description, trailer and plan for this event: DESCRIPTION: This ping pong drama is set in New York City during the 1950s where table tennis star Marty goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness. It is loosely based on the life of famed table tennis player Marty Reisman. The film is directed (and co-written) by Josh Safdie and stars Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara and Fran Drescher. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYSHiII4D-Y EARLY BUZZ & REVIEWS: The film premiered to “overwhelmingly positive” reviews at this year’s New York Film Festival! Timothee Chalamet immediately shot to the top of the Best Actor race with a “career best performance” in a film described as an “awe inspiring cinematic tour-de-force!” Others call it, “an absolute blast of adrenaline” and a “pure delight,” “that soars from start to finish!” The film is earning a Certified Fresh 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes where Variety calls it, “one of the year’s few masterpieces!” Slash Film declares, “This is unquestionably the best performance of Timothée Chalamet's career, and Marty Supreme is one of the best movies of the year. I can't wait to watch it again!” PLAN: For MARTY SUPREME at the Drexel, please purchase your ticket for the 3:30pm showing and we’ll meet in the lobby area between 3:10 and 3:20pm! Advance ticket purchase not required for this theater but be sure to mention you’re with the Movie Group for admission and concession discounts! Buzz and excitement for the film are off the charts and (aside from a pair of great international films), this will be our last major Oscar Watch film of the season! BRUNCH BEFORE THE SHOW: We'll plan for Brunch before the show at the Columbus Brewing Company Beer Hall, located a short distance away. Movie is open as long as tickets are available. Seating is limited so separate RSVP required for the Brunch portion of this event. BRUNCH BEFORE THE SHOW: We'll plan for Brunch before the show at the Columbus Brewing Company Beer Hall, located a short distance away. Movie is open as long as tickets are available. Seating is limited so separate RSVP required for the Brunch portion of this event. Look forward to seeing you there, Dan

Forgiveness is one of the most powerful acts of healing we can offer ourselves. Join us every Wednesday for **“Mastering the Art of Forgiving,”** a gentle and transformative class that explores how to release resentment, heal emotional wounds, and open your heart to peace. Through guided reflection, discussion, and practical tools, you’ll learn how forgiveness can free you from the past and create more harmony in your relationships — and in your spirit. **Let go. Heal deeply. Live freely.** **All are welcome.** No prior experience or preparation needed — just bring an open heart and the willingness to grow. **This is a weekly live event.** Simply log in to join — no RSVP required. 💗 **[Join Forgiveness Class on Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82360245386?pwd=TVZ4SS9SNFVoM2ZsTmRKZlVTVDNyZz09)** \| ID **823 6024 5386** Passcode **995999**

We will be having an open discussion of the book "the Soul of an Octopus" by Sy Montgomery. [this is the amazon link for this book](https://a.co/d/1bRn8h4)