Congratulations

Some of our veteran smokers out there will tell you — with a wistful smile on their face — about the days when you could smoke inside… even inside the waiting room of a hospital, cigars were passed out at the announcement of a birth!

But the tradition goes even further back.

Before hospitals were widely available, childbirth took place at home, with (hopefully) the help of a doctor on call.

In the old days, men waited in another room while his wife and a medical professional or midwife handled the messy business of processing birth.

Being in labor isn’t exactly a quick and easy process (from what I hear).

Once the announcement was made that the latest member of the family had arrived on scene, the celebrating dad would gather with friends in the parlor of the house and pass out cigars to light up in a celebratory tradition.

Don’t know of any tales from the wasted mother trying to nurse the newborn enjoying the stinky smoke smell.

Now from what I know of copulation process, the father is done pretty quickly and the mother does all the heavy lifting.

So why is the father the one to take all the accolades after the birth?

Was he taking high-fives after she lost her period? Did everyone celebrate that you had knocked her up? Was she prepared for the 9-month journey to transform from a beauty to a mom?

‘Tis the season for celebrating a birth than changed the world but the question remains.

Did Joseph pass out cigars with a plastic wrapper announcing?