Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for December 16, 2013

Good to see Calvin has a spiritual side.

Hobbes your right,I wonder why?

Evidently neither of them has heard of the eight days of Chanukah.

Islam is the same. Our Indonesian servants used to spend all their money on gifts for the family back at the village every Idil Fitri.

Those dreidels ain’t free, y’know.

Hindu’s Diwali is THE classic (and probably the model) festival of excess.

@Ottodesu: I was in Bangladesh during Eid Al Fitr and saw that the markets were a frenzy of people buying things in anticipation of the Eid.

Diwali, Bubastis, Eid Al Fitr: fun stuff to look up on the internet at lunchtime today – Thanks All!!

You mean like Easter dresses and candy?

Only one month of frenzied consumerism? I’d forgotten just how old all these strips were…

Eight days of presents.

People who reject the concept of “invisible creator of the universe” also have a hard time accepting that believers could envision a God who wishes them to enjoy their lives. “A” does not exclude “B.”

The only people who really object to “consumerism” believe they should be telling everyone else how to live their lives. Such micro-managing busy-bodies deserve the Angst of the Season.

We complain about this every year but its only getting worse. Desperate companies trying to squeeze every last dollar out of us.

Chanukah? That’s 8 days of ful- throated gift getting for the kids!!! What’s not to like?

And it’s not just Christmas. Thanksgiving, Halloween, Easter,.all very old holidays started with some good purpose in mind. Now they’re all just excuses to pig out and get toys. Bah Humbug to you Mr. America.

It’s better to give loads of loot than receive loads of loot.Calvin should know that by now.

Perfect! This may be a rerun classic, but it sure hits the target today!!

Being greedy is not spiritual… When did Calvin ever give something in return to those who did something for him, or to those who gave him something? Never. His parents certainly don’t bring him up very well, clearly.

I wonder if the author had any children. I wonder how he was toward them.

Only 373 shopping days until Christmas

I have a big relationship and everyone wants a present, there are realy tonnes of loot!!But now it’s done, I am complete, thanks God!

I never had you down as the ‘spiritual’ type, Calvin.I learn something new every day.xxx

Christ’s birthday was never mentioned in the Bible. Christmas was placed at December 25 to coincide with Saturnalia. Many religions and cultures celebrate around the time of Winter Solstice with feasting and gift giving. Christmas itself is widely celebrated as a time of gift-giving in Japan, China and other non-Christian places.

I see Scrooge has arrived.

I always loved Channukah and eight nights of gifts, but mom & dad had enough sense not to get crazy. Night one, I’d get a rubber stamp (six-year-olds enjoy stuff like that). Next night, a pad of paper. Next night, the stamp pad….

Gifts from other relatives (Grandparents, mostly) would wander in over the entire eight nights, and we’d go to my local grandparents and get more loot somewhere, too.

It was always best when Channukah followed Christmas – lots of sales…

The kids love it…. Also, IMHO, Channukah is really hard to over-commercialize. There’s so little media coverage, for example, that the kids don’t get crazy. Ever hear “Dreidel” on your local non-ethnic radio stations? “White Christmas”, mabye, and a million versions of “Rudolph”, etc.

(I like really solid liturgical music. Not “Rudolph”, but something like “O Holy Night”. Problem, of course, is that practically nobody plays that stuff.)

Oh well…. Enjoy the Holiday!