According to my files, I've drawn 1,239 comics. One thousand, two hundred and thirty-nine comics. Most funny, others baffling and a fair number of stinkers but I've never drawn a comic about fruitcake. Not a single comic. It just isn't Christmas without fruitcake gags in the funny pages.

I've never been able to write a fresh variation on fruitcake's long shelf life. I rarely think about fruitcake. It has appeared on my personal radar because of all the comic strips that I read. This made me realize that I've never drawn a fruitcake gag. Thousands of cartoonists have tread a path that I have managed to avoid.

I like fruitcake but if you are deciding on something to send me, I would prefer a greeting card with a heartfelt message, a gift card or cash.