A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

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Dancing the Night Away

By Jimmy Johnson

I hope you had a nice Christmas! It isn’t over yet, you know. We still have New Year’s to go. The abbreviative phrase “New Year’s,” I am assured by dictionary.com, is an acceptable reference to the two-day mash-up that is our ceremonial changing of the Gregorian year. After many years of considering it a minor festival existing in the long shadow of Christmas, I have begun to change my mind. It is becoming a new favorite. It’s a light-hearted party followed by a day of rest and reflection. It’s so simple. I suppose I began to change my mind when my other favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, began to be eclipsed by the commercialism of Christmas. Talk about a long shadow! I also gained appreciation for New Year’s when I finally learned that it wasn’t necessary to face the new year with a splitting headache.

Today's "Arlo & Janis!"

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13 responses to “Dancing the Night Away”

  1. Rick in Shermantown, Ohio Avatar
    Rick in Shermantown, Ohio

    For me, New Year’s is a non-event, and I have never been able to understand why it’s an official holiday with a day off from work for many of us. I understand that it’s the National Recover from Hangover Day, but that’s all it is to me.

    As you can see, I’m not a lot of fun at parties.

    1. jimmyjohnson Avatar
      jimmyjohnson

      For a cartoonist, a sanctioned day for doing nothing (as opposed to a day of doing nothing when I’m supposed to be doing something) is a big deal.

      1. Rick in Shermantown, Ohio Avatar
        Rick in Shermantown, Ohio

        That makes sense.
        And it also means that we need more official holidays.

  2. Steve from Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    For me New Year’s Day was about watching 4-5 Bowl games (& watching OSU or uM lose to USC/UCLA) and then listening to everyone argue about who was the best team like God intended. I worked in retail 35 years ago and we got the day off.

    Now there are too many bowl games and a playoff system that rally don’t prove anything and every store is opened. So it’s a day to sleep in, watch the Rose parade and worry about going back to work the next day.

  3. emb Avatar
    emb

    Yay! Ending I predicted many weeks ago [to nobody in particular]. Just knew Troll would make his final wish eventually. Will all other Pibgorn characters throw a party?

    https://www.gocomics.com/pibgorn/2018/12/26

    Happy Feast of Stephen! Pax vobiscum.

  4. Adrian Avatar
    Adrian

    Don’t we actually follow the Gregorian calendar, having changed from the Julian in the 1700s?

    1. jimmyjohnson Avatar
      jimmyjohnson

      I’ve been accused of being behind the times, but that was a doozy. Thanks for the catch!

  5. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    We need more Holidays – from a guy that does not go into work anyway.

    August needs one.

    Many old grave markers have both styles of date.

  6. David Reaves Avatar
    David Reaves

    A strip that is occasionally mentioned here, 9 Chickweed Lane, is more than a little poignant today. Apparently, Edda has been hoping to get pregnant and introduce us to a forth generation for some time. Poor clueless Amos wonders why he keeps getting wallets as a surprise…

    From direct experience years ago, and second-hand experience with a daughter, waiting for children can be long and distressing.

  7. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    As the blurb above refers to the turn of the Gregorian year, and we are on the Gregorian calendar, to what presumed error do you refer, JJ?

    Or, have you redone the blurb?

  8.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    And what is it with the wallets mentioned? Is there some significance to that?

  9. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Re 12-26-18 cartoon: Assuming the photos were of Arlo or Janis (and who else would be in them, hmm?), my money is on them being of Janis, as it does not appear Arlo pitched them into the fireplace. If so, I can’t blame him; I would have kept them, too.

    I recall a multi-day A&J arc some years ago, based on this same premise, which was more touching than ribald. Go figure.

  10. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    The world’s longest minute, the last minute of a sporting event on tv. You’ve got that right, Jimmy!