First of all, a delayed Cherry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Safe Solstice to all. May your days be merry and bright. Now, let’s jump back a couple of weeks.

Sunday morning on December 2^nd. It was a beautiful day; 70 degrees outside. As I put on a short sleeve shirt, I temporarily thought about global warming, but decided just to enjoy the side effects in my Led Zeppelin shirt.

Around noon, I strolled into The Scottish Arms, a pub where I worked for four years and my fiancé, Lauren, still works as a hostess. Kissing her on the cheek, I settled into a corner booth with an Irish Coffee and papers to grade.

*thud* Lauren drops a local magazine in front of me, open to a specific page with the title “Holiday Gift Guide”. I sighed as I waited for her to point out the item that had caught her eye and prepared for mental calculations of how much of my holiday budget I currently had remaining.

Despite my initial cynicism, my eyes fell on something beautiful, though I did not fully appreciate it at first: a picture of six Vauen pipes from a local pipe shop.

I don’t know if it was because I was too focused on all of the grading I had to do or if I was simply groggy from the previous evening, but my first reaction was simply to say: “Yeah, those are pretty good pipes.”

Lauren looked at me with surprise and I stared back at her with what I am sure must have seemed complete idiocy.

“But it’s a pipe advertisement in a magazine.”

She was right. The beauty of this advertisement was not the brand of pipes being advertised, but the fact that pipes were being mentioned at all. I had not seen something like that outside of specialty shops, hipster-style “ironic” stores, and old, faded catalogues.

I eagerly read the blurb next to the pipes. Nowhere did it mention that this would be a great gift for a grandfather or antique lover, nowhere did it mention it as an alternative to cigarettes or a costume piece. There were no caveats. Not even a warning. It was simply an advertisement for pipes.

Why? Why, now of all times, is there a pipe advertisement in a local publication? Surely it is not just because it is a local establishment. There must be something else.

I recently read a blog piece by Neill Archer Roan concerning the recent item called the Stiff pipe, a pipe which was meant to appeal on a style-level to young, non-pipe smokers. In this article, he mentions that the time might just be perfect for such an invention. The same factors that made the time right for the Stiff pipe might be what make it perfect timing to slowly start advertising for pipes again.

Two of the most popular shows on cable are Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire. Both shows focus on strong male leads; one is the sixties and one during Prohibition. These shows have helped, I would argue, to revive interest in classic drinks, such as Manhattans, Martinis, and straight bourbons, along with other typical acts of manliness.

There are also many websites, one called, appropriately, The Art of Manliness, that gives great how-to guides on everything from shaving with a straight razor to tying a bow-tie to, yes, smoking a pipe.

Something else coming back in style that used to be considered outdated is suits. Phrases like monkey-suit were not uncommon from the sixties and even into the nineties. Now, however, it is thought of as stylish to wear a vest with jeans and is even becoming more and more acceptable to wear a full suit to an informal to semi-formal gathering. I even wear a three piece suit occasionally while I teach my high school classes. Once again, I think that the above mentioned shows have had a slight influence on this. Another show, with a totally different tone, that has helped to revive the suit is How I Met Your Mother. One of the main characters is constantly commanding “Suit up!”

The drinks and suits are just pieces of the puzzle. There are many other signs that we are getting more and more comfortable with invoking the styles of previous generations, from architecture to interior design to children’s names. Each piece of the puzzle that falls into place makes it easier for the next piece to find its way.

Tobacco use is dwindling, yet pipe smoking is on the rise. It is possible, just possible, that the association so many people had with pipes, namely that it was a hobby of the older, wearier generation, might be dying off. With the death of that characterization comes the revitalization of the pipe hobby.

Maybe it might be as simple as a style thing and pipes might become the new 70s band shirts. It gives one an air of cool to be involved with something far before his time. Personally, I have stopped people wearing Pink Floyd t-shirts because they looked too young and asked them what their favorite Floyd album is. If they say “Dark Side of the Moon”, I dismiss them as posers. But I digress.

Personally, I hope this is not simply an issue of style, but a resurgence of common sense and independent thinking.

People do not want to rid themselves of tobacco completely and the gentle art of smoking, but do wish to avoid the potential hazards of cigarettes. Tobacco is becoming an enjoyment instead of a vice and, let’s face it, pipes are far more enjoyable than cigarettes. After all, how often has a cigarette smoker been approached to be told how good his cigarette smells?

Now that we have answered why, at least a little, there’s another question: so what? What does this matter? Is it possible that I am taking a little an ember and mistaking it for a bonfire? Well, I have been guilty of that before.

But…come on! This is a big event! It is these embers that might just catch the torch that brings pipe smokers out of the shadows and removes the stigma attached to the activity. It is possible that this might mean more and more people will stop condemning pipe smoking and start enjoying it. It is possible…

It’s also possible that this is simply a fluke. It’s possible that such an advertisement might get harsh blowback from the public and will not be seen again. It’s possible that this means nothing. Only time will tell.

In the mean time, I encourage each and every one of you to continue being positive ambassadors for our hobby. Follow basic rules of civility and chivalry and we can fan the flames. Smile at passersby while you smoke, stop to talk to curious people, and don’t smoke where it is not welcome.

As for me? I’m going to buy a Vauen from Jon’s Pipe Shop just to show that the advertisement was successful and encourage more of them in the future.