subject: What To Get For The Brotherhood Of The Leaf [print this page] With the holidays rapidly approaching, I've been looking for unique ideas for gifts for both family and friends. I can more or less class everyone into the types of interests they have and things the would want, but therein lies the danger that I'll get them something that they already have, or end up buying them the same gift as one of our mutual friends. I save people that trouble with me by telling them that if they must get me something, a gift card at one of my favorite stores will be the perfect fit, but many of my friends and family expect something a little more personal.
I have a whole group of friends that love to smoke. The boys refer to themselves as the Brotherhood of the Leaf, but I don't think the women have gone that far. I think, with all of the laws that have come into play prohibiting public smoking, smokers have become a culture under siege. They almost seem to be fighting for their rights to survive. Because of this, there has been a resurgence in the popularity for smoking memorabilia and accessories. Everything from Meerschaum pipes to sterling silver lighter jackets seem to have come back into vogue.
Many of my friends smoke pipes, but the vast majority of my smoker friends prefer cigarettes. When thinking of gifts for this illustrious group, the thing that came to mind were leather cigarette cases. Like cell phone accessories, these come with all kinds of special features, like lighter holders and cash compartments. I've seen a few that look exactly like cell phone covers that clip right on to a belt, making it convenient for some of my friends who might otherwise come under fire, pardon the pun, to move unnoticed even among the most fanatical anti-smokers.
Leather cigarette cases for women are also pretty fashionable. Rather than just having a loose pack of cigarettes floating around in their purses and handbags, subject to being smashed by lipstick and other hard-cased cosmetics, or stabbed by car keys, a beautiful hand-tooled leather cigarette case makes it easy to keep their cigarettes safe and looking good at the same time.
So I think I have the right idea for one segment of my friends this year, and I am pretty sure that they will be pleased with what I give them. Now that I have them taken care of, I have to figure out what to buy for the dog-lovers.
