What’s that Linus is saying in that panel from 40 years ago, yesterday? Well, he’s talking in shorthand… Gregg shorthand, to be precise. Schulz used shorthand a number of times in the strip, when Woodstock (and occasionally Linus) was acting as secretary. And being one to pay attention to the details, Schulz got it right. The shorthand in the strip is accurate (or so those in the know tell me), sometimes just recounting what’s being dictated, sometimes with little jokes of its own. The one above? It says “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”

And that seems the right message for the moment, in this the last pre-Santa AAUGH Blog entry. If you’re worrying about getting a gift, well, of course there are still gift certificates. One thing which I do when I’m running late on gifts is order something shipped, and then on the day just give a picture of the item which will soon arrive. (It also lets you fool them into thinking their getting something dinky and then they’re surprised that it’s truly a big gift on the way.)

And if you don’t celebrate Christmas? Have a Merry one anyway. Hang out at the 7-11 and watch all the frantic folks coming in trying to find walnuts or some sort of suitable present for Aunt Clara whose voice mail sure sounded like she was saying that she wasn’t going to show up…