The Born Loser by Art and Chip Sansom for December 22, 2022

He wear the green sweater of Brutus on the shelf.

Dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t

I get cards from my news paper deliverers, with their names and addresses on the back of the envelopes. You kind of have to send them one, right?

Perhaps the postal service lost the card they sent you last year. It’s been known to happen.

Ahhhh, spite . . .

the gift that keeps on giving (it to the other guy)

Tis the season to feel guilty…..

You can tell by the look on Brutus’ face in the last panel that he’s thinking, “Relax honey, you can count on your husband. I remembered and sent the Desilvios a card 10 days ago! They probably just got it in the mailbox a couple days ago and they embarrassingly rushed out to buy us a card at midnight and rushed it in the mail! Hehe. The joke was on them.”

Fortunately you don’t live in the great white north. If that had been delivered by Canada Post it could have been last year’s card.

Send them a picture of the old battle axe and they’ll stop sending you cards.

Tip: seabiscuit in the 5th

Perceiving a slight where none was implied or intended? Folks will go down that rabbit hole. I’ve bemusedly watched some people recently spend exorbitant amounts to get a card, just a card, delivered overnight for reasons very close to what Glady’s is upset about.

tiss the season… :D

My dear “Sainted” Mother taught me if I missed receiving a card from someone 2 years in a row, they came off my list. If a card arrived after I did not send one, I sent one that would arrive late, Iike I had difficulty getting them out on time. They go back on until they miss 2 years in a row again.

I don’t know about Gladys’ reasoning powers. She should just decide to send the Desilvio’s a card next year.

Ah yes, a Gladys Thornapple explanation, the reason that Poor ole Brutus Thornapple perpetually has a dumb look on his face.

I still have to wrap presents too, and we are celebrating on Christmas Eve this year. Still cards and wrapping. This from someone who felt it had to all be done and ready by the Thanksgiving days off of work. Being retired, it’s so easy to say, “Tomorrow.”

If you don’t have time to send a return Christmas card, then send a Happy New Year’s card.

The card you got this year was lost in the mail…

There have been news paper articles about mail getting lost behind sorting machine.

We’re getting a lot fewer cards this year, about half as many as usual.

Oooh, that reminds me…gotta get a last minute card out to the box in return for one I received yesterday. Should still make it by Christmas Eve day.

Gladys next year send email Christmas cards, no postage to pay and you can respond instantly to this type of crisis.

There always ecards. Or you can just send a thank you card with belated wishes.

Meanwhile Brutus is thinking, who the he!! are the Desilvios.

the Desilvio’s are messing with you, Gladys. Get in sync and you can come out on top.

The Iterative Prisoner’s Dilemma.

Love Brutus’ sweater! Is the message aspirational or sarcastic?

Machiavelli had nothing on women.

Now that has Brutus confused!

Guess so—with a little green inside!

I wish I could say that she is alone in that thinking. Just send cards to whomever you want to. Don’t worry about reciprocity for either this year or next…..

Time to make a card just like y’did when you were a kid!

we gave up on christmas cards years ago and it didn’t take long for folks to give up on us, too. weaning people off the new year’s card habit in japan has been more of a challenge. japanese are the world’s most enthusiastic practitioners of meaningless traditions so every year we receive cards from close friends like long-ago dry cleaners and retailers we bought something from a decade ago. the waste of paper is monumental, but japan post needs the revenue…