Gary Larson’sThe Far Sideloves to parody pop culture, so it was inevitable Santa Claus would find himself in the comic’s crosshairs now and again. Indeed, Santa got special attention thanks toThe Far Side’s line of Christmas cards, which turned Old Saint Nick into a regular figure of fun for Larson, along with his elves, reindeer, and bright red suit.
Here are the 10 funniestFar Sidecomics starring Santa Claus -be sure to vote in our end of article pollfor your favorite Gary Larson comic showcasing the adventures of Kris Kringle.
10Venison
Santa Claus' Relationship with His Reindeer Deteriorates in This Far Side Comic
True to form, Larson can’t resist inverting Father Christmas' jolly attitude, turning him into a mean-spirited boss who threatens to turn his faithful reindeer into his next meal if their complaining doesn’t stop. For any fans who think he’s joking, sadly anotherFar Sidestrip (below) sees Santa apparently composing a list of venison recipes - one each for Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.
Since most of his gags happen in a single panel, Larson tends to usefamous characters and real-life celebritieswhen there’s some part of their public image readers can be trusted to instantly understand. In Santa’s case, Larson had a lot to choose from.
9Tiny, Little Reindeer
Far Side Takes ‘The Night Before Christmas’ Literally
While it’s not the part most modern Christmas-lovers remember, Clement Clarke Moore’s iconic poemA Visit from St. Nicholas(akaThe Night Before Christmas) includes a lot of hints that Santa is a tiny, elfen figure, describing him as"a little old driver"and"right jolly old elf"with a"droll little mouth"and"a little round belly.“However, in this comic Larson seemingly ignores that implication to embrace the far more direct line of Santa having"a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer.”
Inthe world ofThe Far Side, it seems that Santa has beenwarnedhis sleigh will be pulled by “eight tiny reindeer,” but wasn’t quite ready for their diminutive size. Hopefully, the later addition of Rudolf to their roster will give them the pulling power they need to circumnavigate the globe in a single night.
13 Funniest Far Side Comics About Parenting That No Parent Should EVER Try to Recreate
The humans of Gary Larson’s The Far Side do everything in the weirdest way possible, and it turns out parenting is no exception.
8What the Hell?
Santa and Mrs. Claus Suffer an Unfortunate Mix-Up
In this strip, Santa realizes that he took the wrong sack on his December deliveries, taking the household’s dirty washing while leaving the presents at home with Mrs. Claus. The comic is unusual inbreakingFar Side’s informal one-panel rule, but it’s not totally alone.Especially early on inThe Far Side’s syndication, Larson experimented with multi-panel gags.
While a lot of these are funny, they don’t quite jibe with the minimalism that makesFar Sidesuch a genius work, and Larson’s later work would accomplish the same level of ‘story’ with cleverly-worded panels.
7Santa Claus Lane
Gary Larson Loves Corrupting Song Lyrics
Far Side’s characters have only truly arrived once they’ve had a nasty court case. In this strip, Larson makes the events of Gene Autry’sHere Comes Santa Clausinto grim reality, switching the lyrics from a celebration of Saint Nick’s imminent arrival to the harrowing account of Father Christmas running someone down in the street.
Far Side’s courts have dealt with worse, with everyone from animals to nursery rhyme characters taking the stand. Indeed, this isn’t the last time Santa will find himself in court before this list is over.
12 Funniest Far Side Comics Where a Character Says “Uh-Oh!”
Things seldom work out for the characters of Gary Larson’s The Far Side, so it makes sense there are plenty of comics worthy of an “Uh-Oh!”
6Collision
Santa Suffers as Much as Far Side’s Other Humans
In agreat comic that doesn’t need words, Gary Larson depicts Santa meeting an unexpected obstacle while flying through the Christmas air. It’s definitiveFar Sideto turn the logistics of Santa’s flight path into the basis of a joke, but Larson’s art really brings it to life, with the scattered presents adding a genius detail to the collision.
5He’s Got the Red Suit On
Santa’s Elves Have the Perfect Way to Kill Off Their Boss
In this strip, Santa’s Christmas elves rebel against him, bringing along a bull that can be relied on to charge at the bright color. Sadly for the elves,the idea that bulls are enraged by the color red is a myth- in fact, thanks to being color-blind, they can’t even see it. While red capes are used to taunt bulls by matadors, it’s the whipping of the fabric that gets their attention, while the bright color is for the audience. The strip does ask the question of why Santa’s elves would try to assassinate him, but Larson answered that in spades…
15 Funniest Far Side Comics That Somehow Make Eggs Funny (Including 1 That Larson’s Editor Refused to Approve)
The Far Side has a lot of obsessions, from delinquent cows to creative cavemen, and yet somehow eggs became one its funniest recurring ideas.
4Little Helpers
Far Side Loves a Courtroom Gag
Larson turns Santa Claus outright murderousin his second court scene, with Mrs. Claus implied to be the tragic victim. As he figures out he’s not getting away with his crime, Santa Claus implicates the"little helpers"who acted as his accomplices, revealing why the elves might have been keen to take him off the board - they were covering up their crimes!
3Not Even a Mouse
Far Side Brings Back ‘The Night Before Christmas’
Larson revisits the lyrics ofA Visit from St. Nicholas, explaining that thereasonno creature was stirring is that Santa already crushed the mouse in question.The Far Sideloves the visual of a totally flattened victim, though usually it’s some form of large mammal crushing a human.
These 3 Far Side Comics Combine to Explain Why Ducks Are Illegal in Gary Larson’s Surreal (But Hilarious) World
Published 12 years apart, these Far Side comics set up the idea that ducks are illegal in Gary Larson’s surreal world, then actually explained why!
2Doberman
One of Far Side’s Best Wordless Gags
In this wordless comic strip, Santa struggles his way down the chimney, not yet knowing that an alert Doberman is eagerly awaiting his arrival. It’s a near-perfect Larson joke, with a single image capturing the moment right before something hilariously disastrous takes place.
1Maybe This Is the Year
Far Side Targets Santa’s Iconic Red Suit
In his funniest Santa Claus comic (at least according to us), Larson reveals that Father Christmas only dresses in the iconic color because he’s not brave enough to try the blue suit hereallywants to wear.While popular myth has it that the red suit is an invention by Coca-Cola, that story sadly isn’t true.The red likely comes from Santa’s connection to the Fourth-Century bishop Saint Nicholas, who himself wore red robes while out giving gifts.
Those areThe Far Side’s 10 funniest comics starring Santa Claus -be sure to vote belowfor the comic you think deserves to be our #1.
The Far Side
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
