Herman by Jim Unger for December 16, 2017

Great! I just happen to have an extra Barbie Dream House that I couldn’t get rid of last Christmas. I’ll drop it off for you. Be sure to leave some milk and cookies for me.

Right. One order of disappointment, coming right up.

Okay, a fruitcake it is!

School text books? Vacuum cleaner? ;)

Funny comments.

I’m reminded of my kid brother, who could never hide his disappointment, when he opened Christmas presents and discovered clothes.

This kid looks old enough to retire!

Even as a kid I thought parents giving needed clothes as presents was not right. Coats, mittens, shoes, socks, and underwear are basic necessities. I swore that when I grew up to never give normal clothing items as gifts, especially to children, unless it’s something they particularly wanted – like a Barbie jacket or superhero pajamas.

How about a box of Kleenex so you can handle the disappointment.

He might end up coal instead.

I used to tell my kids they could open one present on Christmas Eve. Somehow, it always ended up being new pajamas for Christmas morning.

Got an ugly shirt for a gift when I was about ten. I started laughing. I was asked why I was laughing, I said shirt is ugly. The giver said, I thought you could wear it to school. I only laughed harder. Never saw the giver again. Were family friends.

“More details, please. Do you prefer long switches or short? Thick or thin? 10 or 20?”