Series

If ever there was a year Santa needs to be on time, it's 2020. Pipe smokers are better equipped than most to cope with stress, of course, but I can't think of a year with so many imponderables, perplexities and no-win scenarios. In that mix, of course, are the absence of all the little daily blessings we once took so much for granted. So it is that with shortages of so many other essentials since March, I was relieved to learn the Peterson Christmas commemorative pipe will be rolling out right on schedule—tomorrow, in fact! Once again K&P is offering up a calming “incense holder” (as an old “Chat with the Smoker” brochure calls it) for your favorite blends in a pipe that can keep the true spirit of Christmas alive all year. Continuing with last year's Stille Nacht aesthetic, this year's commemorative to peace and good will exudes the warmth of a good fire in the hearth, home and comfort. The ebony gloss in-house sandblast, copper-plated band and Cumberland acrylic fishtail may be just the necessary balm to render some relief in the months leading up to Christmas and beyond. For the third year in a row, the Christmas pipe features the classic nickel-mount marks of shamrock, foxhound and round tower, those great symbols of Éire Charles Peterson first applied to his nickel-mounts back in 1891. This is the only way, so far, to get them on a new Peterson pipe, which apart from the recent Christmas pipes haven’t been seen since the early 1960s. Stamping this year is, of course, applied by hand: Peterson in cursive over OF DUBLIN in small caps with a larger CHRISTMAS underneath and 2020 and the shape number nearby. There seem to be two different acrylic rods being used this year. While both may be described as Cumberland, the one seen in the top photo is like last year’s more caramel and black lines while the two below offer a subdued red with occasional black swirls. They both look fetching. The much-expanded shape chart this year also has some surprises, which I greatly relish. In addition to a broad range of perennial favorites, there’s some novelties rarely or never seen in the commemorative lines to be found at both ends of the size spectrum. For the ever-growing legion of pipe smokers favoring smaller bowls (“group 2 and 3” I think they’d say) there’s the D15, D5, 406, D16, Tankard, 69 and 304: D15 D5 406 D16 Tankard 69 304 This is the first time any of these aside from the 69 has appeared in the Christmas lineup and should prove ideal for those who like a shorter smoke. The D15 and D16 are from a group of three pipe shapes developed some years after the original D shape group specifically for the churchwarden line, but are charming in these versions. For lovers of larger bowls and longer smokes, the B42 (Darwin), XL11, XL02, XL90 and 306 are on offer: B42 XL11 XL02 XL90…