sweasel.com

Why is it old drawing like this have the creepy air to them.
Is it because the old artists were jaded adults themselves, like I am now?

Is this one of those CIA – find the thing – pictures the Daily Fail has been so high on recently. Took a bit to find the ‘child’, who looks like he might have a beard.

That’s an elf that Old Nick got stoned and now he’s shanghaied him off to the Polar shop to make ‘adult’ toys, that’s what that is.

I can say Shanghaied, right?

And COURSE it’s a booze holiday! You have to get boozed up to keep warm and jump through them winter fires and, uh, wait, I’ve gotten too old to remember, something or other to do with girls, never mind, probably just another thing that Monsignor Shields would send me to hell for doing, or thinking of doing.

Oh, we’re out of VO, I need to go to the packie, I’m not mixing GOOD whiskey with gingerale.

Course it would have helped if I wasn’t looking for the baby to be tied in coffle and being led behind the goat.

Durned conqueror genes at work again, that’s what that is.

Idyll thawts…

That goat appears to be eyeing the artist and wanting to chew his nose off.

Hmm. I’m looking at the house in the background, the one the baby was stolen from. Is there such a thing as a dormer on a thatched roof?

In Japan, they have socks with a separation between the big toe and the rest of the toes; they’re used for wearing flip-flops (zoris) in cold weather. If there are TWO separations, like the one in this woodcut, I’m assuming they’re for wearing with flip-flip-flop-flops.

I just learned that those Japanese one-split socks are called tabi. That means two-split socks should be called tatri.

That’s the perfect Santa for 2020.

Tabis! That’s what everyone (no doubt erroneously) called them. They were a thing in So Cal eons ago. We used to buy them 6 pairs at a time at Chinatown in L.A.. They were very popular at a buck-99 a pair. Not notable for durability, but comfy and just right in winter for teens who’d rather go barefoot than wear shoes or slippers around the house.

How do we know that’s not really Thor?
He was big into partying,
and goats.

He was ecologically friendly, had a 2 goat power cart he cruised Valhalla Drive in.

That could be either Tanngrisnir or Tanngnjóstr he’s riding on, and the ‘child’ is the kid of that ungrateful peasant SOB that broke the unseen goat’s leg bone to suck the marrow, leaving him lame when he was resurrected, so Thor took the peasant’s son as a servant (and daughter too, just to be fair you understand) in payment for the crime.

Yep, that’s the story.
Merry Fimbulwinter!

And what’s with the magical star thing all the irreligious media twerps are all excited about – I’m pretty sure the Roman Census occurred in the spring of that year, not at midwinter. Which means…yeah.
Good story though.

@durnedyankee — Re: coffle. A new word (to me). Thanks 1e6!

@Uncle Al @durnedyankee and here I thought ‘coffle’ was just pluperfect subjunctive of ‘covfefe’.

I LIKE this Santa! Not only does he have that big steaming bowl of Wassail (which if I recall is hot mulled cider but not the sissy stuff) but he also has a big jug-o-sumthin for when the cider is gone. He’s my kind of fun guy. I can easily see getting drunk enough for us to be having head butt contests with the goat.

@Someveg – Head butting contests with the goat.
If ever there was a “hey y’all! Watch this!” moment to be had.
Because of course it WOULD happen.

So here’s a cautionary video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC4vfTJh0oo

Durn Yankee – Thank you! You have Totally Made My Day!

I am, as we speak, in the process of sending this video to all my friends, without any explanation as to why. Sadly, I suspect it won’t even surprise the ones who really know me!