For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for December 19, 2010

Don’t interrupt, Elly – I think it’s cute as it is (and how often do you get to see Michael just being a good big brother to Lizzie by reading to her, anyway?)

I think it’s wonderful the way he’s reading it. It certainly is coming from the heart. And Lizzie is just istening so intently to every word…nice to see this sort of interaction betwen the two of them.

But if Elly didn’t interrupt, Michael wouldn’t have a reason to say the punch line.

Beautiful, God bless us, everyone.

My son tells stories like that (usually without the book, though). It is too sweet!

I love him saying “three wise guys” here. I can envision Damon Runyon and a trio of hard-boiled characters suddenly softened by a power beyond their control. Which is, appropriately for this season, a reminder of one of my favorite Christmas Movies, “We’re No Angels” with Bogart, Ustinov and Aldo Ray. Highly commended if you don’t know of it!

That’s one of my all time favorite films!!

awesome

“gold and two other presents.” and “three wise guys.” when I hear the wise-guys I think “nyuck nyuck nyuck.”

Mike really has it right, No wonder he grows up so great.

Merry Christmas to all. I’m off to third son’s in IL for two weeks! Maybe even a white Christmas, a rarity in OK.

It’s no worse than the made up way it was written…

I love this one. God bless all and Merry Christmas to all.

Web Spider

Au contraire. It was better. If you’re going to spin a myth spin it with Heart in language Liz can understand.

Very sweet! :-)

I love the way Lizzie is snuggled up to her big brother. Obviously she adores the heck out of him and it seems, for today anyway, he is enjoying the adoration and being the “big guy” very, very much. It’s so age appropriate too. Between “so they got the baby, see” and the “three wise guys” I was cracking up. Just the way a little kid would interpret it.

If this is an original strip, I sure don’t remember it. Beautiful!

This is one of those rare moments that parents would love to have a picture of so it could last forever – if they could figure out a way to do it without the kids finding out!

just leave them alone snd take a picture this moment wont last forever

Adorable! It reminds me of my kids when they were little.

as i am when i was young its nice to be back those o’ll days i like it…….

As if Lizzie would understand the way the book gives it anyway.

I doubt Michael could read King James English and it’s better for both of them this way.

“And so the deck clerk at the Holiday Inn says, ‘Sorry, but we’re full up… But one of the service bays at Jeff’s Garage next door is empty. It ain’t much, but with the Big Counting and all, every single room in town is booked solid. Something might open up in a day or two; and meanwhile, here’s a voucher you can use for the restaurant to help compensate for the inconvenience…’”

I shell ask, don’t blame ? all Christians, for what other’s do foolishly, and proclame to be one. As for the wise men, no where in the Bible\Scripture’s, does it say three wise men, but it was three gift’s Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. For in my studying, severel translations, it dosen’t how meny wise men there were. GOD Bless in JESUS CHRIST name.

I’ll try to catch that movie (from the year I graduated HS). Don’t believe I ever saw it but just checked at IMDB and it sounds good. Thanks Steven S and Collieflower!

While I realize that Elly had to interfere in order for Michael to give his punch line … I still don’t know why she couldn’t have done what I would have done if that had been me: stayed hidden, watched the two of them snuggled up together being good, and smile to myself while I secretly listened to my son telling his baby sister the story of how the true meaning of Christmas came about … all the while relishing in that special moment so that it could be printed on my heart forever!

Sheesh, Elly … what a “Grinch”!

PNmom06: This was originally published on 12-20-1981, long before I started reading the strip. I agree wholeheartedly with you. Beautiful!

Thanks, JanCinVV! I have the first 20 book collections, but the Sunday strips were not in the early ones, so I hadn’t seen this one. Not since Dec ‘81, anyway!

@jeffreybradmc. In most translations, the wise men are referred to as magi. And their story is only recounted in the book of Matthew 2:1-12–here’s a link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%202:1-12

Hope this helps! ;-)

Here is a modern retelling of the Christmas story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHNNPM7pJA