With Fathers Day closing in, the question of what to get for Dad this year looms large. Hes got far too many ties, including a few (relics of Fathers Days past) that he wore once and will never, ever wear again. Hes got the original Star Wars trilogy (Widescreen Edition with Bonus Disc), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance , Rio Bravo , The Three Stooges Collection (Volumes 18), and Brideshead Revisited (25th Anniversary Collectors Edition) on DVD. Hes got an iPod, an iPhone, and an iPad.
What he doesnt have is The Popes Cologne . Described as an aristocratic, Old World cologne with surprising freshness, with notes of violet and citrus, it is (according to the perfumers website) made from the private formula of Pope Pius IX . . . obtained . . . from descendants of the commander of his Papal Guard. So, if Dad is (as, in the words of the Vatican website, Blessed Pius IX was) benevolent towards all but firm in his principles and combines firmness and understanding, fidelity and openness, a flacon of this historic fragrance might be just the thing. Or not. If hes anything like my Dad, his go-to after-shave splash is probably another, equally historic fragrance: Old Spice .
In any case, this Sunday, whatever you do, give Dad a hug, a phone call, and your prayers.
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