I have a question for the cigar guys out there. How often have you looked up gift-giving guides, say before Mother's Day, in order to find the perfect perfume for whomever? I bet perfume blogs are brimming with ideas for non-perfume wearers and that you peruse several posts about the perfect perfume to gift. I also have a question for the cigar media. Articles like 'Gifts Ideas for the Cigar Smoker in Your Life,' who are you writing these for? I've been guilty of this myself. Creating the cigar content, to be clear, not perusing perfume industry sites.
It's a rut we almost all get stuck in. In our defense, it is a fresher topic than 'cello on or cello off,' and 'plume or mold.' (It doesn't matter enough to alter how the cigars come to you, and it's mold every time, respectively and for posterity.) So before every Christmas and each Father's Day particularly, you'll see these articles and/or blog posts, or pod eps both recycled and new, all telling no one how to buy cigar gifts for cigar smokers. And never is it thought much about. Never, ever, does anyone write about how to receive cigar gifts from non-cigar smokers.
You say thank you. A handshake, a hug, and even a kiss might all be recommended as acceptable responses alongside giving verbal thanks, of course, each in accordance with the parameters of the given relationship. Did someone get you a counterfeit Cuban cigar thinking it was authentic? Well, that isn't one of those teachable moments, nor is it an opportunity to skewer them with your cigar pals. Did someone give you a mild smoke and you're thinking they should know that you appreciate fuller smokes? Does your significant other prefer effervescent or powdery fragrances?
Cutters and lighters are great gifts to give the cigar smoker in your life. Why? Is it because they don't have either and were facing a helluva frustrating situation until you came along with your stupendous present? They're good ideas because they're like gifting ties. Where do ties go? In the closet. Where does your lighter go? In a drawer most likely. 'Thank you for knowing I wear ties and smoke cigars.' After you say thank you, feel really good about getting a gift from someone who cares to think about you, even when you probably don't often deserve it.
::: very :::
For H. Kaplowitz