“Garfield” is such an appallingly mediocre strip that I’ve always been amazed that it’s so popular (there are worse strips out there, but they have marginal distribution). “Garfield Minus Garfield” is a vast improvement in every way, and the ones which “work” as “jokes” are, in my opinion, the ones which least represent the spirit of “GMG”. If you expect a “GMG” strip to be funny in any conventional sense, you’re missing the point entirely.
The connection between Coca-Cola and Santa Claus is that Coke’s enormously-popular and long-running Santa advertizing series is responsible for the tradition that Santa’s suit is red and white (Coca-Cola’s signature colors). Prior to Coke’s campaign, there was no particular color scheme for Santa’s suit.
We need a Jefferson Smith!