Thursday, December 25, 2014

Dec 25th – Dilbert & the Perfect Gift

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Today is December 25th, Christmas!  Christmas was originally a Christian holiday and celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.  Today, it is both a religious and cultural holiday for anyone that wishes to participate.  A common tradition on Christmas is the exchanging of gifts with your friends and family. 


The Christmas holiday season can be very stressful for many people because of gift giving.  Many people struggle to find a good gift for the ones they love and care about.   People also worry that their gift s to others will not be as good as the ones given to them which could make them look bad.  Also, gift giving can be very expensive and take a lot of time.


Today’s comic is Dilbert.  Dogbert, his pet dog, got him the perfect gift.  NOTHING!  For many people this is the best gift of all because many people do not enjoy giving or getting gifts.


Comic Breakdown

“Merry Christmas.  I got you the gift of absolutely nothing.” – Dogbert to Dilbert

“Nothing to unwrap, nothing to clutter the house, nothing to return, nothing to assemble, and not a single thing to feel guilty about.” – Dogbert explaining why the gift of nothing is perfect

“You totally get me.” – Dilbert being thankful and thanking Dogbert

“It was the least I could do.” – Dogbert to Dilbert

What has happened?

Firstly, the gift of nothing is perfect for Dilbert and perfect for many people.  They have nothing to stress out about.  Now they can just enjoy the holiday season with their friends and family.  Many people get gifts that they hate or feel bad if they do not have a gift or good gift to give in return. 


The double meaning of “least”

Dogbert and Dilbert have a love/hate relationship.  Dogbert says to get Dilbert nothing was the least that he could do.  This has two meanings.

1) Least – This is an expression that is used when someone wants to do something nice for someone else either as a thank you or as a gesture of care.  By getting Dilbert nothing, Dogbert put a lot of thought into why it was best for Dilbert because he knows Dilbert does not want anything.  When one does not want anything, no gift is the best gift.

2) Least – This means the littlest or nothing of something.  By getting Dilbert nothing, Dogbert did not have to do or buy anything.


To read more about Dilbert and gift giving, click here.

Today’s images are from here, here, here, here, and here.

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