If Your Grandfather Hadn't Worn It, You Wouldn't Exist

 

by Pa Rock

Reminiscer

Buying gifts for my dad was always a struggle.  He had a belt which he used for holding up his pants and for the occasional "disciplining" of his son, and he had one or two ties which got dragged out on the rarest of occasions - like funerals - and not always then.  So he was never in need of the standard belts or ties as gifts.

The only hobby that I remember which consumed much my dad's time was fishing, and he already had two or three rods and reels, fishing line, hooks and sinkers.  There wasn't much that Dad needed for that endeavor except for an occasional carton of worms or a box of frozen shrimp - neither of which did well gift-wrapped.

But my old man did have one major vanity:  he liked to smell good, and to achieve that he dutifully splashed on his ""Old Spice" every morning before going out into the world.  Old Spice was something he liked and something he actually used, and over the years it became the "go to" gift for Dad.  There were new and unique gift sets each holiday season, but the smells remained the same.  It was a rare birthday or Christmas when Dad did not find himself opening at least one gift box of Old Spice aftershave and cologne - and in his later years even his grandkids began gifting him Old Spice.

New scents from other companies started coming into the market while I was in high schools, the the young baby-boomers began splashing those on, but many of the old timers, the guys in my dad's generation, remained loyal to their Old Spice.  

Now, of course, most of my dad's generation have passed on, but the scent of Old Spice still lingers.  The aftershave and cologne no longer dominate the market as they once did, yet they persist.  I use Old Spice stick deodorant, something that I began decades ago for environmental reasons.  It's a good product that does what it was designed to do, and while I use the original scent "classic" variety, the deodorant, in keeping up with the diversity of society, now comes in a variety of strengths and scents.  There are, in fact, so many choices, that it is sometimes a challenge to find the "classic."

This morning, after showering and getting ready to face the day, I happened to notice the quote on the back of my Old Spice deodorant, "If your grandfather hadn't worn it, you wouldn't exist."   The folks at Old Spice are trying to remain relevant in the marketplace, and to do that they are out stirring memories.

That statement on the backside of the deodorant stick - one that I had never noticed before - made me smile.  Old Spice may be a bit retro, but so am I.

Thanks for the memory and the smile, Old Spice!   May you make many new friends this holiday season!