Christmas question.

daimyo · Aug 7, 2014

A tin of Three Kings arrived today, Christmas Cheer went up for sale and I just watched Gremlins. Suffice it to say these things have the Holliday on my mind. There has also been some recent discussion regarding Christmas pipes. This got me thinking of what constitutes a Christmas shape. Now the pipe companies need to deliver fresh product each year so it's no surprise that the shapes vary widely but does anyone really picture ole Saint Nick puffing on these more modern variations? When you picture Santa with a pipe, what shape is clenched in his jaw? Personally I seem to see a full bent brandy/apple/billiard or an Oom Paul.

tuold · Aug 7, 2014

If you do an image search on Google for "santa pipe" you really do get quite a variety. Every shape from those long stemmed colonial clay pipes to tiny little pots.
Personally, I'd like to see Santa show up with some sort of Nording freehand. A churchwarden might be a good pipe for him to smoke around the shop.
Of course recently Santa has been told to give up his pipe for health reasons. Or maybe it's for the kids. I'm not sure. Probably don't want to go there.

daimyo · Aug 7, 2014

I do admit my mental image of Santa was no doubt shaped by both the time and place in which I was a child. I suppose that it what makes me curious as to what other's imagine. One would think that he was often pictured with the favorite pipes of whatever region was responsible for the imagery, implanting that in some small child's mind.

Of course recently Santa has been told to give up his pipe for health reasons. Or maybe it's for the kids. I'm not sure. Probably don't want to go there.

Humbug to the naysayers, may they receive coal in their stockings. :nana:

numbersix · Aug 7, 2014

For me, a Christmas pipe is a pipe that commemmorates the season - so for me, it can be any shape (but it needs something to differentiate it as a Christmas pipe).
Tho I do agree that if you want a pipe that Santa would smoke - then I see it as a bent or a churchwarden.
The earliest reference to Santa with a pipe that I know of came from Washington Iriving in "Knickerbocker’s History of New York". But there were no descriptions of the pipe and no illustrations. It was political cartoonist Thomas Nast who created our notion of what Santa looks like in 1881 - this is his depiction:

lincolnsbark · Aug 7, 2014

I picture Santa with a clenched nose warmer, very small pipe. I do not really know where this image comes from but it sticks in my head and I will have to keep an eye out this season for which decoration started this vision.

derfatdutchman · Aug 7, 2014

I see Santa with a small slightly bent rusticated pipe, something along the lines of the Peterson D9 with a standard length stem.

mso489 · Aug 7, 2014

I see Santa with a large bent billiard with a rusticated briar.

gregprince · Aug 7, 2014

Certainly a clay. A cutty for work days and a church warden for relaxing with Mrs. Claus.

anthonyrosenthal74 · Aug 7, 2014

Santa and his pipes, huh? Here's what I imagine. At home at the North Pole, when he's in the shop making toys with the elves, he is probably puffing on a cob. Other times, when he's just relaxing or perhaps supervising, maybe he has a beautiful hand carved freehand with plateau. I can see him relaxing in a great big soft arm chair reading Charles Dickens while enjoying a hot cocoa and a churchwarden after a long day on the job managing all the work that must be done throughout the year.When he's about and about on Christmas Eve, he's delightedly smoking on a plain meer with a big bowl (he has a lot of presents to deliver so he needs a good long smoke) perhaps it has a golden band with red and green inlay. And when that job is done and he's home after delivering presents to children throughout the world. I see him in that same chair, with a great big meer, carved with all of his reindeer circling his sleigh. He puffs with a smile, with his feet kicked up, remembering the joy that children's smiling faces brings him.

anthonyrosenthal74 · Aug 7, 2014

You and me both, Sparks lol. There's just something magical about that time of year. It really brings the child back out in me. :D

deathandtaxes · Aug 7, 2014

Anthony has provided such a vivid verbal representation that anything I could add would certainly be overshadowed and in fact not be original due to the aforementioned. Great vision! :worship:

homeguard95 · Aug 7, 2014

Don't you know? Santa smokes Lucky Strikes! :D

lostandfound · Aug 7, 2014

A very slightly bent nosewarmer.
Next question: What's he got in it? A cookie flavored aromatic, a heavy English, Old Dark Fired? More specifically- what's he smoking on Christmas Eve, while he's out delivering?

homeguard95 · Aug 7, 2014

Well lostandfound if you go by this, I would have to say PRINCE ALBERT.

drwatson · Aug 7, 2014

I got my C&D three kings and tried it today. I must say that while not super stellar, it is so much better than the past two years. I'm still trying to fiqure out if "chestnuts roasting" was tobacco, or something they found out in a cow pasture. I also got one of the new Peterson Christmas pipes in the 68 shape. Great pipe! Almost looks like a pine cone. Very nice pipe. I would like to see the band stamped instead of engraves though. I think it would make it look nicer.

numbersix · Aug 7, 2014

I am a certified Christmas-o-holic. My friends joke that if there is a time of year that you want Justin to not be a curmudgeon and want a favor, ask for it between Thanksgiving and New Years.
I go a little Christmas crazy... not too nuts on the decorations, I'm pretty traditional there, but I love the season, I love the holiday and if there is a time of year that a pipe belongs in the picture, it's then.

lol- me too. My wife got be started on the holiday and now with two young girls in the household, I really look forward to it. In fact, I even created a website for the holiday - just for done:
http://homeforxmas.com

txbeerboy · Aug 7, 2014

That is to cool numbersix !

anthonyrosenthal74 · Aug 7, 2014

Numbersix you were even thorough enough to add Krampus to your website lol! Now that's dedication

lol

daimyo · Aug 7, 2014

It's not Christmas without the Krampus! My favorite holiday is Halloween but Christmas is a close second.

anthonyrosenthal74 · Aug 7, 2014

While looking at Numbersix's site I see that as of this post, we have 139 days, 1 hour, and 57 minutes until Christmas. The heck with that! I say we start Christmas early! Lol. I might just smoke myself a bowl of McClelland Christmas Cheer after dinner

Christmas question.

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