Christmas in The Far Side is less about warm sentiment than what happens when familiar holiday rituals meet Gary Larson’s sideways logic. This editorial selection highlights ten Christmas-related panels, judging them by how clearly the holiday shapes the setup, how surprising the turn is, and whether the laugh comes from wordplay, visual reversal, or dark incongruity. It is not an official ranking. The Santa cartoons are left out because the list that identifies these panels treats them separately.
Why these Christmas comics work
Gary Larson’s The Far Side was a daily, single-panel newspaper comic that ran from 1980 through 1995, according to the strip’s official About page. Its one-panel format is well suited to holiday jokes: a reader recognizes a seasonal phrase, decoration, gift, or gathering, then has to reconcile it with an absurd new situation.
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The Complete Far Side | $101.02 | Buy on Amazon |
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The eight identifiable titles below come from a secondary article presenting ten Christmas selections. The available excerpt does not identify its other two entries, so they are not guessed at here. The descriptions are attributed to that article rather than presented as verified captions or archival metadata. The exact original publication dates and authorized captions for the individual panels are not established here.
Eight identifiable Far Side Christmas comics
1. “Seasonings Greetings”
The secondary list describes this as a pun that turns a familiar holiday greeting into “Seasonings Greetings.” Its appeal is the immediate collision between Christmas language and the unexpected meaning of “seasonings”: a compact verbal gag whose seasonal reference is built into the wording.
#1 Best Overall
2. “Frankenstein Christmas”
Here, the list article points to a Christmas gift made unsettling. That contrast is classic Larson territory: a gesture associated with cheer becomes strange enough to make the holiday scene feel faintly ominous rather than cozy.
3. “Lone Pine”
The list article includes this panel among its holiday picks, but the excerpt does not provide enough detail to establish the visual setup or caption. Its place in the Christmas selection is identifiable; a fuller explanation would risk inventing what the panel shows.
Rank #2
4. “Porcupine Christmas”
The title signals a collision between an animal and holiday tradition, but the excerpt does not verify the precise scene. It belongs in the identified selection, though the visual joke should be judged from an authorized image rather than reconstructed from the title alone.
5. “A Dog for Christmas”
The list article names this panel as part of the ten. Its excerpt does not establish the panel’s exact action or caption, so the title alone is not enough to claim how the joke unfolds.
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Rank #3
- Author: Larson, Gary.
- Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
- Pages: 192
- Publication Date: 2003
- Edition: Illustrated
6. “You Fool!”
This selection is described as a Christmas gift that turns unsettling. The humor, as summarized by the list article, comes from upsetting the expectation that a holiday present will be harmless or welcome.
7. “Invite the Cows In”
The list article identifies a seasonal decorating joke that collides with the logic of a fishbowl. That incongruity is particularly suited to a single panel: ordinary Christmas decoration becomes absurd when viewed through the rules of another setting.
Rank #4
8. “The X-500”
The list article characterizes this as a silent physical gag. With no wordplay needed, the laugh depends on the visual turn and the reader’s quick recognition of what has gone wrong.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this list can—and cannot—establish
These eight names are identifiable from the surfaced exact-title article, but its available excerpt does not reveal all ten entries. The missing two are not filled in by guesswork. Nor does the excerpt authenticate each panel’s original caption, publication date, or whether a version was adapted for a Christmas card.
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Larson’s official site says he continued occasional cartooning after retirement, including an annual personal Christmas card featuring Santa. That confirms his Christmas-card practice, not the provenance of any specific panel in this selection. The official site’s series information does not endorse this ranking.
Where to find more Far Side cartoons
For readers who want to explore beyond these holiday selections, Simon & Schuster describes The Complete Far Side as containing every syndicated Far Side cartoon—over 4,000—in roughly chronological order, plus more than 1,100 cartoons not previously published in a book. The publisher’s description does not establish that card-only cartoons are included. See the publisher’s book page for its contents.
Simon & Schuster Canada also lists a 2027 day-to-day calendar, describing daily black-and-white cartoons and full-color weekend cartoons. Edition details and availability can vary; consult the Canadian publisher listing for current information.
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