The Dinette Set by Julie Larson for December 24, 2011

Leaky posted late yesterday, in case you missed it.

Poor Marlene, wearing the bow wow jacket…

G’morning Marg —

Yeah, not long after Leaky showed up, I told him to be careful….. you know, cos he said he was on the lam….And now my post is gone.

It’s a conspiracy, I tells ya.

And I hate to say it, but Burl is right!

Hello the rest of you, when you show up — Happy Christmas Eve Day.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths, and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men of good will.”

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Even you, Leaky, wherever you are.

A poodle in the bow wow jacket – how appropriate.

A rimshot for Burl!

Bounce ping pong balls off of it for a varation of beer pong.

WOW…. they are going out for a nice Xmas eve dinner…. !

.I was reminded recently…. that Happy Holidays" evolved from “Happy Holy Days”…..By the way…there is a second Bow Wow…. under Michelan Wear on Burl’s dress shirt…. ! ! !

Marlene’s not the only one wearing Bow Wow jacket.

@vldazzle….. Thanks for getting me started on visting “Dark Side of the Horse”….. I visit there every day……! ! !

You are welcome, GymShoe. I read 30 here, 11 at my local paper and 2 at Arcamax. Just as 3 comics here referenced the famous poem, the local paper has Hilary Price (Rhymes with Orange) and she has a pair of Mice today with one making Risotto and being told by his wife to quit stirring.

This must be a fancier place than they usually attend. Burl is wearing a tie (no dress shirt, tho – that’s a jacket with a logo) and Joy has a purse with no logo for a change.

Because I get this so late (can’t figure out why, since everyone else seems to get it hours earlier) I never comment, but want you all to know how much I appreciate reading yours. They are an inherent part of the strip and the whole caboodle makes my day. Merry Christmas and belated Happy Hanukkah.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLY DAYS to all the Cristwoodians. Even Leaky.

And btw I realize princehairy has an unfortunate connotation in this particular strip. No connection, no relation; relates to fur not human hair.

it must be a PST thing: theyre still up at 3am EST when these come out. hag sameach, whatever your season is.

Does anyone else think that Burl is patting Marlene’s bottom?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! CONGRATULATIONS!

A most happy birthday ahead of time!

I guess the name “permanent” really applies here.It will never come undone :))

Christmas Day will be here in 12 hours. Yes, yes, yes.Love it. It gives you a feeling like you never get during the rest of the year.

OK, here’s a challenge for the holidays.We know that Leaky has allegedly gone to the Gulf Coast and states that we cannot find him. If we assume that he still has a shred of honesty in him, this means that he is not in the NO area or by extension, in any inland area. I am further assuming that he is not in Lake Charles or easterly but rather in a nicer part of the coastline. This could be anywhere from Mobile/Biloxi down to just south of Tampa/St. Pete. There are resort areas like Destin and quieter places like Fairhope or Point Clear. What do you think?Let’s put our electronic heads together and make our best estimate as to where he is. (Then call Homeland Security!)To make it more interesting, I will offer a prize to the one who figures it out. I will purchase a school desk in the name of the winner through the UN KIND (Kids in need of desks) program in Malawi. ($48US) When he returns Leaky himself will choose the winner. I assume that Marg knows more than she is letting on, so I am appealing to her darker nature to give Leaky up. (I didn’t say this had to be fair!) Get ready, get set, START SEARCHING!

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Is it just me, or has the strip had a harsher edge to it lately? Not really something I can define, just a “feel”.

@SantaGrog, I don’t read my locals on paper (get enough actual paper in supermarket ads) but mostly the old King Comics are free on my local paper (www.azcentral.com/ent/comics/king-comics.html) site. There are many which are not available elsewhere and I can see my 11 favs arranged in 3 pages of 4 maximum).

@princehairy, many of us also look in later and I often check in the morning just to see if a comment is added.

I vote for Tampa/St. Pete. I believe Leaky originally went to Tampa to McDill AFB, and thence off for some unknown “black op.” (We’ll never know about that, but Kim Jong Il just died suddenly, didn’t he?) Now he’s back at St. Pete sequestered in a palatial beachfront safe house being debriefed (!!!) by an Italian supermodel.