Priscilla's Pop, December 24, 1955

Priscilla's Pop, December 24, 1955

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Priscilla's Pop, by Al Vermeer, has a title that suggests it's supposed to be mainly about the father of Priscilla, yet it ends up being mostly about Priscilla herself. Priscilla was really just a kid who did kid things, but she did have a kind of charm that you might not see in other comic strips. The family was not well off, and her Pop, or Waldo as he was better known, was always worried about their mortgage payments and would only eat mashed potato sandwiches in order to save money to pay it off sooner.

That said, it seems he ate enough of them that they were able to have a pretty nice Christmas in 1955, complete with a cozy fireplace, until it was put out that is. As someone who did not grow up in a house with working fireplaces, I'm not really sure how they work in regards to Santa coming down the chimney. I would assume the magic that he uses to get down the chimney properly would also render him fireproof, so there wouldn't be a risk of him getting burned if it wasn't put out before he arrived. But wouldn't it be put out anyway before everyone went to sleep? I don't know. Either way, Priscilla was just being proactive, and there's nothing wrong with that.