Elf-On-The-Shelf…Timmy had a plan…

Grand-children at Christmas bring new meaning… to a lot of things.

I remember playing the “Naughty or Nice” card with my son to control behavior around Christmas.  It never seemed to work more than about two weeks out.  I think that is when the pressure begins for a kid.

Recently, on the day after Thanksgiving, my four year old grandson Jack gave me the finger to the lips signal and pointed upward.  It took me a couple of seconds to figure out what he was being so secretive about.  And then, I saw it… There, lurking on the shelf, was the dreaded “ELF-ON-THE-SHELF”!  I had heard about him, but before Thanksgiving, knowing the “Elf-on-the-shelf” was on his way apparently didn’t seem to be much of a threat. 

That all changed the day after Thanksgiving… Each morning Jack would come downstairs and warily look around until he located his nemesis.  Apparently, that pesky elf was a tricky little fellow and could appear almost anywhere.  Jack never made a move until he had located him.  You never could be too careful when it came to the Elf-on-the-shelf.

Jack is a pretty sharp little guy and has already figured out that the elf stays in the same place all day.  I’m guessing it’s just a matter of time before Jack figures out the elf doesn’t move his head, his eyes fixed in one direction.  Once he notices that, his little sister is in trouble…  There’s only so much self-control possible in a four year old!

The cartoon idea came one day when I was thinking about Jack and his attempts to outwit the Elf-on-the-shelf.  Jack is a thinker and usually plans before he goes into action.  I tried to portray one of the options Jack might decide on… I changed the name to protect the identity of the perpetrator.  You never can be too careful, you know.  I caught that elf looking at ME the other day!  I need to teach Jack about Duct Tape…

 

 

Bah Humbug! A Christmas post… with a twist.

I paint rocks… among other art ventures.  Over the years I have painted hundreds of rocks with “Smiley Faces” and given them to friends and business associates.

One of the rocks was given to a friend, Jeff, to display on his counter at Shoreline Center for HealingThe idea  was to create a friendly atmosphere of  positive vibes.  What better message for a Healing Center?

Jeff was telling me he has a friend that jokes about having a bad day and hitting someone with the smiley rock to take out his frustrations.  The idea of getting hit with a smiley rock conjured up all kinds of images… mostly conflicting.  The cartoon portrays the mixture of emotions we all experience during the Holiday Season.

I think we have all had the symbolic feeling of being hit with a smiley rock during the Holidays.  The everyday stresses of many emotions can highlight the conflict we all have at one time or another.  “It’s supposed to be a happy time… why am I so stressed out?” 

Maybe I should start painting smiley faces on foam.  It could serve as a great Holiday stress reliever when you throw it at someone.  What do you think?  Trade in your “Pet Rock” (remember them?) for a “Pet Foam Smiley Rock”…and get rid of your stress at the same time!  Try it out by throwing it at your Legislator… Come to think of it,  I’ve got a better idea…use the Smiley Rock.

 

HARK! THE HAROLD’S ANGELS SING…

This is a re-run of a cartoon I drew in 1990.  I was reminded of it when I was in New York City over Thanksgiving and saw a guy wearing a “sandwich board” advertising a local restaurant.

“Olde English” is interesting.  Did anyone actually say, “Hark”?  Is it an early form of “Look”?  Does anyone actually care?…

The first version of the cartoon came about when I heard “Hark, the Herald Angels sing” on the car radio and saw a sign in a tent-like formation that reminded me of sandwich boards.  To this day, I almost never see a sandwich board type sign without thinking of “Harold’s Angels”… and, by association, Christmas.  Maybe, with a little luck, you will now have the same association when you see a sandwich board.

So… if you happen to be standing on a street corner, near a sandwich board sign, don’t be surprised if the person next to you breaks out into an enthusiastic rendition of “Hark, the Herald Angels sing!”.  It’s just a matter of time…

SANTA GETS A TICKET…Caught in the act!

Santa got caught… I think it was in Brooklyn.  Afterwards, he would tell the elves he should have used the outside fire escape to get down to the basement apartment.  Parking on the street can get you in trouble!

Actually, the original drawing, done in the 70’s for a State Farm Insurance Company publication didn’t have a background.   I added it because I recently was in Brooklyn visiting relatives and had to find on the street parking… Not an easy task!

We all know Santa has a daunting task.  I’m hoping they let him off.  Even though we know, as the cartoon indicates, he has no defense for the charges.  Maybe, if he gave the Cop a donut…

 

SANTA TRADES IN HIS SLEIGH…

In the spirit of a Green Christmas, I’m re-cycling some cartoons I drew back in the 70’s. 

At the time,  there was an ongoing “intellectual” discussion at the office about the number of miles Santa must have on his sleigh.  The conversation mostly centered on how many miles he had to drive to get the job done. 

I had an older car at the time and was thinking about getting another vehicle.  I was in the process of trying to get enough for my old clunker to justify making a deal.  A used car was on my radar.  Naturally, my thoughts turned to the problem Santa would have getting fair value on a trade-in when he needed a new sleigh.  

I suspect Santa would do like any car-owner trying to get the best deal… play-up the positives on his trade-in.  You know, along the line of: “I really love my old car and hate to let it go, but my wife wants a new sportier model.”…  That kind of positive.  Like, “There’s nothing wrong with this car.   If it were up to me I’d never let it go…It’s my wife, you know?”

Everyone knows the only reason guys buy new cars is because their wife makes them, right?

I’m not sure if Santa was able to make his deal.  If he did, I’m guessing his trade-in started a new business…CARFAX!