494. CPG Event: The PPN Christmas Ornament + “The Christmas Pipe” (A Story)
THE PPN CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT EVENT This Sunday marks beginning of the dark season of Advent observed by Christian traditions around the world. It is also the day we put up our Christmas tree. Just the tree, mind you. We keep things low-key, sneaking in the tree the first week and in the following weeks ever-so-gradually hanging on lights and ornaments as we approach the twelve high holy days of Christmas itself. A few years ago I began looking for a pipe-shaped Christmas ornament. Any kind of pipe-type Christmas ornament. I even tried hanging some pipes on the tree, but I invariably had to take down one and then another because I needed to smoke them. I even contacted Old World Christmas, those people who make the amazing glass-blown ornaments. They were quite willing to make one for us, but there was a 1200 ornament minimum order requirement. Twelve Hundred. So I had to give that a pass. Then I noticed that the folks that made our tintacker also make Christmas tacker ornaments. Mischief--managed. These measure about 3.75 x 3.75 inches. You can get an idea of scale here: The great thing is that even if you don't put up a Christmas tree, each ornament has a little hole in the top so you can nail it to the wall of the shop, hang it from the rear view window of your truck, or use it as a fishing lure. I suggest passing them out at your next pipe club meeting, as well. It stands to reason that a pipe smoker who's not a Peterson pipe smoker can't be very happy. There's really no reason I can think of not to have several of these ready for any emergency. Here's Gigi's instructions for ordering: Price is $15 each including US Shipping Price is $40 each including International Shipping (this does NOT include any customs/import fees) Orders are limited to stock on hand. Once we run out, we will not reorder this year. The form will be closed when all ornaments have been sold. Ornaments are ready for shipping, so expect to receive PayPal invoice quickly. Shipping now! Questions? Send email to petegeek1896@gmail.com You MUST fill out the Google form below to order: CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT EVENT Now, about the legend on the Celtic Trinity Knot of the Christmas ornament. It's from a suppressed verse of "Silent Night, Holy Night," by Felix Mendelssohn. You can read about it in the following story. THE CHRISTMAS PIPE (A STORY) by Michael Sparks The CELF flyer (1984) Wandering into the graduate student lounge one afternoon as the December light was failing, I sat down and opened Dickens’s Dombey and Son, which I was reading for the first time. My eyes fell on this heartening sentence: “And there, with an aching void in his young heart, and all outside so cold, and bare, and strange, Paul sat as if he had taken life unfurnished, and the upholsterer were never coming.”[1] That sucked me into a vortex of delicious self-pity,…