Holidays Are Here

That's right the holidays are here. We started off with Halloween, then Thanksgiving and now we are heading to Christmas and Hanukkah. All three holidays speak of gratitude and the art of giving.

The gift is the expression of gratitude for a friendship, a job well done, a family member or just the expression of caring for a special someone.

If you want to be lavish look to the Italians and the French. They are able to give with

sophistication and exquisite design. The Germans are good engineers, so what they make is created to last. The Japanese too have developed great skills in engineering and packaging. Their gifts are among the most sophisticated. Apart from the real big stuff like cars and anything with motors the gifts handed to friends, family and clients are treated as personal projects.

For us here in the US, the DIY is big on the Santa list. But if your friend is a smoker, like so many of mine, I still like to give them something related to their hobby. Depending on the pocket, you can go from a box of cigars to the great holiday samplers. Ashtrays are great ideas and we've got several for the outside patio, as well as for the interior. We've just got in a great line of beautiful humidors! The prices are beautiful too!

If your intention is in the right place you will find the right gift, which will make your friend or relative happy. From a few bucks to hundreds of dollars, there is always something for someone.

What about the guy or gal who has everything? No such thing! With these guys we need to use our noggin a little bit more. Be creative... cook, bake, sew, carve, sculpt, etc. People who have everything would go nuts if you give them a single cigar with a miniature bottle of cognac!

A gift certificate for their favorite store or restaurant. Even just a special dish accompanied by a great cigar will make their day!

The pipe smoker is most of the time the person that thinks outside of the box. He or she is the thinker. Therefor if the gift has had some thought put in to it so much the better.