Getting into the Holiday Spirit at Pen Boutique

It feels as though 2024 has gone by too quickly, but it's already almost Thanksgiving, the days are getting short, and there's a bracing crispness to the air. Holiday season is the busiest part of the year at Pen Boutique, and, if it's a hectic time for you, too, I'm here to help if you need gift suggestions. I love pens, so I always want to share the excitement and joy that they bring me, and I bet a lot of my readers feel the same way. It's a hobby that helps you slow down a little, focus on beauty, be introspective, but also reach out to others and make connections. Even for people who don't go "down the rabbit hole" and get immersed in collecting, pens are a useful and special gift that shows your recipient that you think they deserve a nice writing instrument that elevates their day. It's easy to find great gifts at Pen Boutique, even for people who aren't into fountain pens!

Before you start this article, I just want to warn you that I've included so many suggestions, it was impossible to do true "illustration" style photos, so, instead, I got inspired one day when the store was closed and created a number of photo spreads with lots of different festive pens and accessories.  Be sure to read the photo captions to see what I've featured, because it's not necessarily related to the rest of the article!  Have fun, read on, and feel free to jump around to whatever catches your eye.

Reaching Out Across the Miles

Before I get into the thick of gift suggestions, I want to focus briefly on what we are all here for:  writing.  I haven't been keeping up with my Christmas card writing for the past few years because the holiday season is so intense in the store, but writing cards was always something I looked forward to each December, and I'm sure I'll return to it in the future.  We don't send cards and letters often enough these days, and it's always such a good feeling to think about all the friends and relatives I don't see very often, choose a beautiful ink, and write a short personal message to each one.  I love hearing from people who are amazed by the uplifting experience receiving a card written with a fountain pen brings, with the line variation, shading, sheen--and maybe even shimmer--looking so different from a standard ballpoint or rollerball pen. Writing cards with a favorite fountain pen makes the ritual so much more pleasurable, and, of course, seeing your message filling the page in a festive ink inspires you and brings you joy as you write.

With the help of some of the Pen Boutique staff, I picked out nine inks that we think would be great for holiday cards.  Some have shimmer, so, if you decide to go with one of those, make sure you choose your pen accordingly and select one that can handle the small glittery shimmer particles.  A broad or stub nib is usually most compatible.  Shimmer inks aren't always great for everyday writing, but if there is any time that they are perfect, it's in a festive card, and they are so pretty and fun to use!  I love sparkly things this time of year.  Some of the other inks we chose have gorgeous sheen that will show up with a contrasting metallic-looking gleam (depending on paper and nib choice), and others are just seasonal and rich colors that put me in a winter holiday mood.  It was hard to truly capture the beauty of the shimmer and sheen of some of these inks (especially the chameleon inks, which look different depending on angle), so, if you are able to stop by the store and look at my swatches in person, you'll be even more inspired by how nice these inks are!  I also created a quick Instagram video showing off my swatches.

Inks used: Diamine Spiced Apple (chameleon), Colorverse Dan Hong, Diamine Firefly (shimmer), Sailor Ink Studio 735 (green sheen), Iroshizuku Shin-ryoku, Robert Oster Green at Night, Anderillium Spirula Green, Diamine Astral (chameleon), Iroshizuku Yama-budo (gold sheen on some paper), J. Herbin 1670 Shogun (shimmer), Diamine Monboddo's Hat (gold sheen on some paper), and Diamine 160th Anniversary Athol Violet (bronze sheen on some paper).

Holiday cards aren't always fountain pen friendly, so try to keep this in mind when you choose yours.  It's often hard to tell which cards will be compatible with your pens, but if you try writing on your card in an inconspicuous spot and find that your ink bleeds, feathers, or doesn't show the qualities you'd hoped, don't despair.  It's okay to insert a small piece of fountain pen friendly paper along with your card, and write your message on that!  Problem solved!  A Rhodia pad with perforated tear-out blank pages is perfect for this (one of these: 1, 2, or 3), as are the blank Clairefontaine Triomphe tablets with sheets that tear off cleanly. I love Clairefontaine Triomphe for letter writing!  To really show off the beautiful qualities of your ink, blank sheets of Tomoe River paper are the ultimate.  This special Japanese paper is hard to keep in stock, but we do have some for now!

Ink Lovers' Dream

Speaking of ink, ink gift sets are a dream gift for the fountain pen lovers on your list.  Any ink set is a fantastic gift idea when you don't trust yourself to pick out a pen, or just to make an ink lover very happy. It's also the perfect thing to pair with a gift pen when you really want to wow your loved one. An ink set is something that people rarely splurge on for themselves, so it's extra-special to receive. 

There aren't as many fountain pen ink sets around this year as there were this time last year, but we do have beautiful sets from from Pilot Iroshizuku, Taccia (in very limited quantities), J.Herbin, Colorverse, Anderillium, and Monteverde (including the Color Changing Ink, which is unique and fun to use creatively).  All of these are very nice and feature lovely ink color choices.  

One note about the beautiful Pilot Iroshizuku sets:  those were a limited release, and, once they sell out, they will no longer be available.  Three of the sets include sold out colors that were discontinued this fall, so it's a great way to snag these highly sought-after inks without having to resort to inflated prices on the after-market. The Zan-getsu set includes Tsutsuji (Azalea), Yu-gure has Kiri-Same (Scotch Mist), and Sho-kou has Kosumosu (Cosmos).  There are six sets, and each one has a collection of four different 30m bottles. 

My photo above shows one each of the Pilot Iroshizuku, Taccia, and Sailor Manyo (no longer available) boxed sets, with Mellow Forest and Ice Dance Sailor Dipton ink bottles and one of the Sailor Dipton dip pen/ink sets, along with a selection of our beautiful Kartos writing sets and Girologio repurposed Italian leather writing mats. The Kartos writing sets and leather writing mats are the perfect gift for anyone who loves pens!  The gorgeous paper and envelope sets are extremely fountain pen friendly, and the writing mats enhance your writing surface to improve the performance of any type of pen.  They are also impervious to ink spills and double as a mousepad.  I myself own three different colors and use them regularly.  I think a Giologio writing pad and/or Kartos paper set is also the ideal add-on gift when you are buying someone a pen and really want to make it extra special.

The Diamine Inkvent Calendar set is also incredibly fun if you're a fountain pen ink lover, and is joyous to open during December either as a family or alone.  This advent calendar -style set comes with 25 small bottles of ink and 25 windows to open, so you can be surprised each day.  All the colors are new releases and consist of Standard, Shimmer, Scent, Chameleon, Extreme Sheen, and Star Bright style inks.  (Chameleon is a very cool type of shimmer ink, where the color changes depending on the angle of the light.)  I highly recommend buying the calendar for a little treat each day. At 12 ml, the bottles are small, but large enough to fill your pens many times in the year ahead. (The average converter will hold between 0.6ml and 1ml of ink, and the average piston filler fountain pen holds 1.2 to 2.5ml of ink.) There is also one special 30 ml bottle for the 25th day. The Inkvent colors are released much later in the year in large 50ml bottles, and those individual bottles are also a great choice for a holiday-themed ink. 

The perfect accessory for an Inkvent calendar (or any other inky experimentation) is the Sailor Compass Hocoro dip pen.  Last year, I used one to test all 25 Inkvent inks.  I absolutely love this pen and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes trying lots of inks.  Dipping fountain pens takes a lot of time to clean the nib and feed in between each ink, so, if you're testing a large number of inks, this can be tiring and time consuming.  The Hocoro pen is very easy to clean. All you have to do is rinse the nib in water.  (Another option along the same lines is a J. Herbin glass dip pen, if you are looking for something prettier for your gift recipient!  They are a little harder to control, but very elegant and beautiful.)

You can get the Hocoro individually in white or gray and with different nib choices (fine, medium, 1.0 mm stub calligraphy, 2.0 mm stub calligraphy, or fude), or you can buy the pen barrels, nibs, and feeds separately for the ultimate mix-and-match power!  Note that the fude and 2.0 mm stub nibs come with feeds because these nibs need to be able to hold more ink, but, if you want to add a feed to the other nibs and hold onto your ink longer, you can.  The nib is easily removable to swap out or clean, and can be reversed to fit inside the pen barrel for protection when you aren't using it. This pen is so fun, easy to use, and useful! 

I also think the Dipton sets, which pair the Hocoro pens with extra-shimmery and extra-sheening dip pen inks, would be perfect little holiday gifts or stocking stuffers, even for someone who isn't into fountain pens.  The dip pens are sturdy and easy to care for, and the shimmer and sheening inks that come with them are so beautiful and inspiring.  Sometimes it's fun just to get creative and play. 

So Many Stocking Stuffers

Speaking of fun, I had a lot of fun thinking of Pen Boutique stocking stuffers.  These small gifts would also be great as little presents for friends at work or school.

- The Pilot Varsity and/or Platinum Preppy are the perfect way to introduce others to the world of fountain pens.  I remember many customers coming in last December and buying handfuls of these inexpensive fountain pens for stocking stuffers or to give out to their friends.  And this year, the Varsity and Preppy gift buying has already started!  Pilot Varsity is a disposable fountain pen that only costs $3.37 and comes in seven fun colors.  The ink color matches the pen.  The Platinum Preppy is also very inexpensive at $6.00, but can be refilled with Platinum ink cartridges, or used with a Platinum converter and bottled ink. It comes in a variety of colors and nib sizes, each with a matching ink cartridge, and also has a Limited Edition version with different cool colors/patterns for a few dollars more. (All the limited edition pens come with black ink and a fine nib, regardless of color.)

The Preppy features a "Slip & Seal" mechanism that prevents the pen from drying out even if it's not used for a long period of time, and I've had many customers tell me it truly works and that they rely on their Preppy even though they own more expensive fountain pens, too. Both the Varsity and Preppy write surprisingly smoothly, and are an excellent way to introduce your friends and family to fountain pens, especially when you aren't sure if they'd like or be willing to take care of a fountain pen. These pens are good for both young people and adults.  A lot of our customers buy a Pilot Varsity in each color and give them to their kids or grandkids, or hand them out to coworkers! Share the love!

[Pictured:  crab pen holder, Rickshaw pen sleeves, Pilot Varsity, Platinum Preppy fountain pens, and Pen Boutique Yak Leather pen sleeve in Brown Glitter. The cute and useful crab is strong and stable enough to support anything from a lightweight Varsity to the Montblanc Moctezuma!]

- The Lamy Pico and compact Fisher Space Bullet Pen ballpoints are both cool and so useful. I was showing some customers the Pico in the store and they all went nuts when they saw how the pen starts out as a tiny capsule when closed, then springs open to full size when you click the back. When they asked in amazement, "How does it do that???" I just said, "Magic." The Fisher Space Pens are also incredibly compact when closed, and feature a pressurized ink refill that works in all kinds of adverse conditions, like on greasy surfaces, underwater, upside down, and in extreme weather. Plus, if you happen to go to outer space, you definitely need one for writing there.

- The Faber-Castell Grip comes in both fountain pen and ballpoint, and is another nice inexpensive but high quality and colorful option that is delivered in a small package.  I own two Grip ballpoints and love them! The fountain pen has an excellent nib, and, again uses standard international cartridges or a standard international converter. The Grip pens are also packaged in several nice colors as a gift set.

- The Sparkle Pencil is another one of my favorites from Faber-Castell. I love these and have a bunch myself. They are only $1.50 each and are so pretty, they are hard to resist for both kids and adults. These high-quality pencils have an ergonomic triangular grip to write comfortably, and feature contrasting recessed dots that feel nice to hold and aid in traction.  The dots and ends are sparkly, but they write with normal black/grey lead, so you can use them at school, work, or wherever. If you buy them in the store, you can choose your pencil colors, but when you order online you will receive random colors.

- I also love the Faber-Castell Metallic Highlighter Textliners, which come in a box of eight, with cool shimmery colors.  This is such a pretty gift, and so useful, too!  Same with the Faber-Castell True Gel Pens six-pen set, which looks like a little container of jewels.

(Pictured: Faber-Castell Glam Edition Violet Grip fountain pen, Metallic Highlighter Textliner, Sparkle Pencils, and holiday edition Grip colors: Mistletoe and Berry.) 

More fun small things:

1) Colorverse Mini inks (my current favorites are Supernova and Hayabusa Glistening... I've noticed that another especially popular one is Cat Glistening).  If you buy 3 or more, you can save 50 cents a bottle.

2) Fun Rickshaw or simple and classy Pen Boutique pen sleeves to protect your pen.

3) Pocket-sized Field Notes notebooks come in so many great designs. The National Parks series is especially nice, as is the Winter Heartland limited edition, and Red Alert is great for a Christmas-themed red color choice.  I also love the fun and cool Streetscapes limited edition sketchbooks, with four “coloring book” architectural illustrations that wrap around the front and back covers of these 4-3/4" × 7-1/2" books and allow you to color cityscapes from New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago!

4) Fountain pen friendly A7, B7, or A6 sized Maruman Mnemosyne notebooks and Write Reporter Notepads and Pocket Notebooks are always handy. I love both brands.

5)  Pelikan Snap ballpoints are great.  I love the metallic finish on these, and they come in six different nice colors.  Definitely perfect stocking-stuffer material. 

6) The Pilot Parallel is very fun to experiment with. This inexpensive writing instrument comes in six wide flat nib widths and can be used for calligraphy and to create spectacular lettering or art effects.

7) The Monteverde Tool is the perfect stocking stuffer or small gift for anyone in your life who loves clever and useful gadgets!  This helpful companion is sort of like the Swiss Army Knife of writing instruments, and is available as a mechanical pencil, ballpoint pen, fountain pen, and inkball pen (rollerball that uses fountain pen cartridges). It's an all-in-one writing instrument, screwdriver, ruler, level, stylus, and more!  Check out my blog article and you'll see why this is such a great gift.

8) Another excellent little gift from Monteverde is the Poquito, a tiny ballpoint with a useful stylus tip on one end. I have one, and love it for editing videos on my phone, where I need a very precise touch on the screen. A stylus tip is also super helpful if you have long nails, large fingers, or wear gloves.  The colorful Poquito is the perfect pen to always have with you, and you can tuck one just about anywhere.

9) You know what I always want in my Christmas stocking? The Col-o-ring ink testing cards! These tried and true cards are perfect for swatching all your favorite inks, and I've been using them for over five years to help keep track of my gigantic ink collection. They have been rigorously tested to prevent feathering, bleeding, or show-through, and are great with fountain pens, glass pens, dip pens, cotton swabs, and even paintbrushes.  The heavyweight, slightly toothy paper shows off your inks properties beautifully, including sheen, shimmer, and shading.  A similar fun option for ink swatching are the Wearingeul Ink Colorchips Chart Cards, which features a small image of a bottle of ink and blank lines for filling in the ink's information.  They are also made with heavyweight paper that showcases your inks' true sheen, shading, and color variations.  If you prefer a book format rather than loose cards, go with the Wearingeul Ink Color Swatch A5 sized notebook!

11) These may be slightly large for a stocking (depending on size of your stocking!), but the Punilabo Pen Cases in the shape of cute animals are super popular for both young people and the young at heart.  They are also excellent for pencils, paintbrushes, makeup brushes, or other small supplies.  We have four new ones this year! The related, but much smaller, Punilabo pen stands, available in the shapes of six different cute animals, will easily fit in a stocking or anywhere you want to leave a cute surprise.

12) Another fun and useful thing I'd love to find in the toe of my stocking:  ink cartridges!  For Pilot pen lovers, shiny silver Iroshizuku cartridges boxes are so pretty, they almost look like Christmas ornaments themselves.  Sailor (proprietary for Sailor pens), Montblanc, Graf von Faber Castell, Pelikan Edelstein, and J. Herbin (all standard international, which fit many different brands of pen) are also especially good brands that have nice packaging.

13) Last but not least, Shriya's favorite:  the Sailor Compass Shikiori Markers, available in 20 beautiful colors modeled after the famous Sailor Shikiori fountain pen inks. Each dye-based marker is double-sided with both a fine tip and a brush tip, and you can layer them or blend the colors with a wet paintbrush. They are so enjoyable to experiment with, and sure to bring out your creative side. These markers are also available packaged in a set, the perfect gift for the artist in your life.

[Featured:  Diamine Inkvent bottles, Wearingeul Glitter Potion (a fun and beautiful solution you can add to any ink to transform it into a shimmer ink), Lamy AL-Star in Whitesilver (also available in a great gift set!), Faber-Castell True Gel Pens set, Punilabo Fox pen case, Pilot Iroshizuku cartridges, Visconti Homo Sapiens fountain pen, Pilot Custom Heritage SE fountain pen in marble red, ST Dupont Line D in Diamond Guilloche Ruby (a stunning rollerball we have a closeout sale on!), sparkling Lamy Studio Dark Brown fountain pen (from a beautiful gift set), Pelikan Classic M200 Copper Rose Gold fountain pen, and Visconti Van Gogh in Red Vineyard (available as fountain pen, rollerball, or ballpoint, each in a stunning gift set).]

Gifts to Introduce Others to Fountain Pens

If you want to buy someone their first fountain pen this holiday season, I had some excellent input from my customer Erik, who first got into pens by using a Pilot Varsity in 8th grade, and then fell down the rabbit hole at the age of 20 and now has quite the collection.  He told me, "My handwriting was chicken scratch all through school, but it's improved noticeably from using a fountain pen regularly." His recommendations for starter fountain pens are the Pilot Metropolitan (this was also my first fountain pen), Lamy Safari (also available in a nice gift set with a bottle of ink and converter), the very popular TWSBI Eco, and the Kaweco Sport. 

Along with Erik's recommendation of a TWSBI Eco, consider a Nahvalur Original (or Original Plus), or the new Monteverde MP1.  These are all inexpensive "demonstrator" pens that allow you to see your ink inside the barrel.  All of these fill by piston, except the Nahvalur Original Plus, which is a vacuum-filler.

Two perfect introductory pens that you may not have considered are the Pilot Explorer and Kakuno.  These are excellent inexpensive pens that would make great first fountain pens, or fun make-you-smile pens for a collector.  Both of these pens use the same kind of nib as the Pilot MR (Metropolitan) collection, but have less tapered bodies, so they can take Pilot's larger and nicer CON-70 converter (sold separately). This easy to use push-button filling converter holds 1.0 ml of ink. For Pilot lovers who like the convenience of cartridges, of course you can also use those.

Both pens are very lightweight, so they are great for younger people, or those who find heavier pens tiring. Both pens are also available in great colors. I love Explorer's metallic finishes, and Kakuno's cheerful translucent shades are uplifting and fun. (Note that Kakuno's solid colored barrel options are being retired, so, if you like one of those, snag them while you still can!) Of course, Kakuno's nibs with cute friendly faces will always bring a little extra happiness to the writer!

[Pictured: Lamy Aion ballpoint in Dark Green, along with Lamy Studio fountain pens in three colors:  limited edition Matte Rose, Black Forest (a subtly shimmering dark green) and the rich and sophisticated special edition Dark Brown, also with subtle sparkle.]

Pen Gift Sets - The Easiest Gift

Speaking of sets, gift sets are wonderful because they are packaged nicely and come with everything you need to give an impressive and useful gift to your recipient.  Most fountain pen gift sets come with a pen, ink, and converter, and some also include a matching pen case.  Some sets package a fountain pen and ballpoint pen together, or combine pens with other types of writing instruments like a mechanical pencil.  There are also sets that pair a pen and notebook, calligraphy sets with different nib options for your pen, and, of course, the sets of inks I mentioned above.  Sets are a bargain because the items included would be much more expensive if you purchased them each separately.

These are some of our favorites:

- For new fountain pen lovers (or people you want to convert into fountain pen lovers!), the Lamy Safari and AL-Star sets are also ideal holiday gifts, because, like the Studio gift set, they include everything someone needs to get started in the world of fountain pens. I'm not a fountain pen newbie, but I'm actually eyeing the White Silver AL-Star set for myself.  I love that futuristic and icy looking color, and the sets are such a good value because you don't have to buy a converter, ink, or cartridges separately.  Plus, that one comes with a matching silver pen sleeve that I love, and these are just great pens to use and to collect in different colors. 

- Another great gift set option from Lamy is the limited-edition Lamy Scala Fountain Pen set in Majestic Jade, a gorgeous green that comes with matching ink and a lovely 14k gold fine nib.

 - I highly recommend the Pelikan Classic M200 series special edition sets: beautiful translucent Rose Quartz and new 2024 shimmering blue Golden Lapis. We also have an amazing deal on the Pelikan Classic M205 translucent blue Apatite fountain pen and matching ink Pelikan Edelstein Apatite ink.  This duo isn't packaged in a gift set box, but the savings of $198.03 makes it an incredible opportunity to introduce someone to the world of fine Pelikan pens without breaking the bank. The original price for this combo was $328.00 and we are selling it for $129.97! Right now we are also offering the same price for the Rose Quartz set.  I love Pelikan M200 series pens myself and own several, which I use often.  (You may remember me gushing about them in my Pelikan article.)

- We have lots of wonderful Retro 51 sets with different combinations of rollerballs, fountain pens, and mechanical pencils. The sets that are a collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art are especially beautiful. I love the Iznik Garden, the Geometric, and Kandinsky. Dr. Gray is also very cool for skeleton lovers or those in the medical profession.  Single (non-set) Retro 51 pens or pencils also make perfect gifts because you can really get creative matching the subject to your recipient's favorite interest. These high-quality writing instruments write wonderfully and are very popular with our staff.  For inspiration, check out my blog article where I talked about the Buzz and others. A lot of the Retro 51 pens also have matching Rickshaw pen sleeves, for the ultimate gift pairing!  We are having big sales on a lot of the Retro 51 rollerballs that are collaborations with the US Postal Service, a nice tie-in to sending holiday cards.  The beautiful limited edition Hanukkah and "Merry and Bright" Christmas pens are especially perfect holiday gifts!

[Pictured:  Sailor Professional Gear fountain pen in limited edition Cosmic Blue Quasar, Monteverde Invincia Vega Starlight Blue (available in fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint), Lamy AL-Star fountain pen in special edition Turmaline, Kaweco Liliput in new 2024 Blue, Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball in limited edition USPS Hanukkah, Montblanc Meisterstuck 145 fountain pen in Doue - Glacier, ST Dupont Line D fountain pen in Eternity Honey, and Pelikan Classic M200 Golden Lapis fountain pen.] 

- For Sailor lovers, the Sailor Seasonal Festival fountain pen and ink sets or Sailor Manyo fountain pen and ink sets would be an absolutely lovely gift. Each set comes with a delicately colored Sailor Professional Gear Slim fountain pen paired with a matching bottle of ink presented in an elegant gift box.

- The Visconti Van Gogh Collection is available as a fountain pen, rollerball, or ballpoint.  The fountain pens are paired with a matching bottle of ink, and, while the others aren't exactly sets, all three styles are beautifully packaged in a box to match the Van Gogh painting they pay tribute to. Each one also comes with a matching bookmark. These handsome pens are very popular gifts for art lovers, and, because the color mixes are natural resin, each one is unique. To to learn more about these beautiful pens, check out my blog article from earlier this year.

- Calligraphy pen sets are very popular gifts for people who have learned how to write calligraphy and for those you think would like to learn.  We carry them in a number of different brands, in a variety of price points. These include: 1) Kaweco fountain pen calligraphy sets, 2) Lamy Joy fountain pen calligraphy sets (regular or aluminum version), 3) J. Herbin La Perle Des Encres Wooden Box Set (calligraphy dip pen with nibs and ink), and 4) the beautiful Graf Von Faber-Castell Tamitio black fountain pen calligraphy set.

- The Pilot Custom 823 in Smoke, Amber, or new Demo Clear also comes beautifully boxed on a satin bed with a bottle of ink.  Read my blog article recommending these pens! They are one of the best serious fountain pens you can get for the money and are phenomenally smooth writers.  This year, Pilot introduced the Signature nib option for this pen, which is incredibly enjoyable to use and adds a beautiful touch of line variation to your signature.  I also love (and personally own) the Pilot Custom 743, which comes in the same beautiful packaging and has 14 different nib choices.  The only difference, other than nib options, between the 823 and 743 is that the 823 is a translucent vacuum-filler and the 743 is an opaque cartridge/converter filled pen.  The 743 comes in either Black or Verdigris Green, a US Exclusive color only available for a limited time.  Pilot will soon replace the Verdigris 743 with a new US exclusive pen, so, if you love this beautiful shade, buying one is something you should act on now. You can read about both of these pens in my Pilot Pens by the Numbers blog article.

[Pictured:  Montblanc Meisterstuck Ink Bottle in Origins Green, Benu Euphoria limited edition fountain pen in Christmas Twinkle, Montegrappa Elmo 01 fountain pen in limited edition Emerald Green, Pilot Custom 743 fountain pen in US Exclusive Verdigris Green, Namiki Aya fountain pen in Tokiwa (Evergreen Beauty), and Aurora Optima Auroloide fountain pen in Emerald Green.]

- Last, but definitely not least, The Monteverde Ritma set comes in ten beautiful color choices and includes a fountain pen, rollerball and ballpoint, plus bottle of Monteverde ink, and a MV P44 ballpoint gel ink refill!  The sleek aluminum and steel Ritmas were inspired by the clean lines of 1960s and 70s design and feature a satisfying magnetic cap.

Many high-end limited edition pens also come breathtakingly boxed with a bottle of ink and gorgeous pen case.  The Montblanc Limited Edition pens are also full of detail and very collectible.  We have a large variety of exceptional limited edition pens to choose from; feel free to call our customer service (410-992-3272) for advice if you need help picking one out. Customer service is open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time. 

Other Ideas When You Don't Know What To Get

There are countless additional options in the world of pens, and it's best to come into the store to browse if you want to pick out a unique pen in another category. A sales associate can help you narrow down the options if you need help, or a customer service representative can assist you if necessary when you order online.

Remember, even if you love fountain pens, you don't have to get your recipient one. First think about whether they'd really enjoy and appreciate a fountain pen.  If not, there are many beautiful ballpoints and rollerballs that can still elevate their writing experience!  

[Featured:  Monteverde Tool ballpoint,  Esterbrook Estie The King of the Night fountain pen, Kaweco "Old German Christmas" mouth-blown and hand-painted glass ornamental fountain pen, Delta Pietro Vannucci Detto Fountain Pen - Il Perugino 188 limited edition fountain pen, Monteverde Regatta Fountain Pen - Harlequin 2.0, Pelikan Souveran Red/White special edition M600 fountain pen and K600 ballpoint, Montblanc Great Characters John F. Kennedy special edition fountain pen, and Montblanc Meisterstuck 1 Pen and 2 Pen Pouches.]

A Montblanc Meisterstück fountain pen, rollerball, or ballpoint is always a classic and very classy gift, and you can read my blog article on these pens (focusing on fountain pens, but also talking about Montblanc and Meisterstück in general) to learn more about why. My article on Choosing a Graduation Gift Pen also has a lot of useful information on other excellent gift pens.  The Montblanc Starwalker is a great alternative for a Montblanc with a contemporary look, and you can read about it in my article from 2023.

Here are a few final ideas for that hard-to-shop-for person. (You know, when you aren't sure about their pen taste and you don't know what they already have.)

For a fountain pen lover, fountain pen friendly paper is very welcome. I recommend a Rhodia Rhodiarama notebook, our new Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks, or the stunning Italian Kartos writing sets, all of which feature premium paper that is especially compatible with fountain pens and ink.

A bottle of pen flush is always useful, and splurging on fancy inks like Montblanc, Bungubox, Jacques Herbin, or a Colorverse two-bottle duo is a special treat. 

If you want something you can hang right on the tree, there's the sparkly new Benu Limited Edition Christmas AstroGem fountain pen that comes packaged in a pretty red box with a ribbon top.  So whimsical and perfect to wake up to Christmas morning! 

For the Montblanc lover, what about Montblanc desk accessories, leather goods, pen cases, cufflinks, or notebooks?

Pen Boutique's store exclusive Yak Leather pen cases are available in many different sizes to fit all kinds of pen collections.  We have some beautiful new colors in the 24-pen size!  I love the soft Crazy Horse leather, which patinas as you use it.

I also love the super-soft vegan denim pen cases along with the repurposed Italian leather writing mats from Girologio, and I actually already bought one of the denim cases as a gift for someone on my list!  I own two myself.

Esterbrook's pen cases, 2GO Cups, and other fun accessories are another great choice, and any of Pilot's beautiful pen cases would make a wonderful gift for the Pilot/Namiki lover in your life.

[Pictured: Pilot Falcon in Metal Burgundy, Pilot Custom 74 in Grenadine, Pilot Vanishing Point SE in Ruby Red Marble, and Pilot Pen Sheath in Cypris Red. These are all amazing pens that I highly recommend, and they come in a gorgeous range of other colors if you don't like red. The pen case is stunning and is a true luxury gift.]

And, for people who have everything, I recommend...

1) A handcrafted David Oscarson pen, 2) the Montblanc Patron of Art Limited Edition 888 Moctezuma fountain pen, and 3) the breathtaking Namiki Yukari Royale limited edition Maki-e Golden Rose fountain pen (currently the most expensive pen in our store!).

[Pictured:   Penlux Masterpiece Grande Christmas Edition fountain pen, Namiki Yukari Royale limited edition Maki-e Golden Rose fountain pen, the slim and elegant Pilot Grance fountain pen in Pearl White, Pilot Custom Urushi 845 fountain pen in Vermillion (on my wish list!), and TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen in Irish Green with Onyx.]

I never know where to stop when suggesting good gift ideas, so I hope this article didn't overload you with information.  If you need any assistance, please visit our store, or ask our friendly customer service team for assistance!  I hope your holidays are as stress-free as possible and filled with joy, love, and beauty.

 -Laura P.

I love comments on my blog!  Please leave comments if you like the articles, and, if you have any questions about this article, or any of the other blog articles, you can e-mail support@penboutique.com.  Thank you!