A Renaissance man before the term was coined, Benjamin Franklin is the focus of today’s non-holiday. January 17 is a day to celebrate an American polymath, a founding father, newspaper editor/publisher, inventor, scientist, revolutionary and more.

   In addition to creating Little Richard’s Almanac, Franklin helped author the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

   Not bad for a Boston-born boy with little means.

   For Benjamin Franklin Day we take you back in time courtesy of Superboy to the beginnings of America. In addition to the boy of steel, ma and pa Kent tag along to clear up a (then) modern-day mystery.

   The (spoiler alert) parallel universe adventure allows the Kent’s to meet not only Franklin, but other Revolutionary War heroes.

Adventure Comics (1938) 296

   In short, Adventure Comics 296 is a four-color trope of the Silver Age. Back when America was still great, before the pre-Vietnam and Watergate era.

    Before branding meant something outside of cattle drives, Marvel was slapping its label on any product they could license outside of the four-color field.

   One of those companies that came calling was Topps.

   Under the Comic Book Heroes moniker, Topps produced a set of 40 stickers, each featuring a Marvel character. Each reprinted image sported the equivalent of a “dad joke.”

   Turned over and placed together, nine of the cards reprinted the cover of Fantastic Four 100.

   All for a dime.

  Our trip down memory lane today is sponsored by the non-holiday National Sticker Day.

   January 13 is National Sticker Day in observance of R. Stanton Avery, credited with the creation of the adhesive label with removable back. Happy posthumous birthday R.

   Stickers, so called because they, well, stick, are said to have first been utilized by European merchants. They stuck labels to their products, beginning in the 1880’s, so buyers would notice.

    The first National Sticker Day was celebrated in 2015.

   Tomorrow is more than a brand new day, it’s a brand new year.

   Traditionally, today and tomorrow are the time to cast off any burdens that have held us back in the past. Today – or tomorrow – is the time for New Year’s resolutions.

    To usher in 2026, Bugs Bunny plays protagonist to foils Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam. Both merely want to be less antagonistic during the coming year, but Bugs just wants to turn a buck.

   Unlike the animated adventures, the enterprising bunny finds business can be bitter sweet.

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Comics #136 (February 1953)

   As for the business of the day, New Year’s resolutions originated with the Babylonians as far back as 4,000-years ago. However, their celebrations were held in March to coincide with the planting of new crops and the religious 12-day  ceremony of Akitu.

   In addition to pledging fealty to a new or reigning king, the Babylonians would make promises to their gods.

   Continuing with a similar practice, the Romans offered sacrifices and pledged to do good deeds for their god Janus. Named for forward and backward looking pagan god, January became the first month of the year in 46 B.C. Romans would offer sacrifices and promises to do better in the coming year.

   Christians adopted a similar habit. On the first day of the new year they would reflect on past mistakes with promises of better behavior.

   An English clergyman and the founder of Methodism, John Wesley created the  Covenant Renewal Service held on New Year’s Eve or Day. Events would include hymn singing and scripture reading. At one point, resolutions were made for the new year.

   Today New Year’s resolutions are more of a tradition rather than a religious obligation. Data records, on average, about 45-percent of Americans make their promises, but a mere eight percent actually keep them.

   Whatever you decide, happy New Year.

Well, we made it to another Christmas.

Three hundred and sixty-five days. All the holidays – and non-holidays – and, here we are. Ready to close out another year.

This has been a year of ups and downs. Most poignantly Jeff and I said good-bye to dear family members of the four-legged variety. Fuzzy soulmates who saw us through more than a decade.

In my case it was Doublenaught, my furry Russian Blue who spent many an evening curled on my lap as I read. He found me when I needed him most and I am so grateful for our time together.

I won’t speak for Jeff and Robin. They were together for 15 years and is dearly missed.

Another end, but with better tidings, is that of my Incredible Hulk collection. As I mentioned during last year’s countdown, the Hulk run officially began in 2005. Always a favorite character, it wasn’t until then I decided to make a run at the second volume, numbers 102 through 474.

Even then, my pursuit of the title wasn’t a be all, end all. Issues were bought at shows as found and, little by little, the collection grew. It wasn’t until a couple years ago when I acquired a 181 at a yard sale of all places I thought I would actually finish the run.

Then, a month ago LCS owner, Jeremy, bought a collection that included issue 180. After a Black Friday discount I was able to add the next-to-last piece to the series. All that was left was issue 141, the first Doc Samson.

Incredible Hulk 141

I’d seen it the Christmas before at a shop, but it had a subscription crease. Plus, I already had a stack of other comic books in hand, so I passed then.

Now, it was gonna be in my sites. The last issue to finish my collection. That would be the priority for 2026.

When Jeff, our wives and I met to exchange gifts this year, that book was the last present I opened.

Yes, Jeff and Teresa allowed me to finish the series. Not only finish, but be done with it 20 years after I initially started, a much more poetic timeline.

So, like the many presents before, I wish to thank them both.

And, as always, wish them and you a very Merry Christmas.

Finally, for our last day before Christmas, the history of Advent Calendars.

     As early as the 1800s there are records of German Protestants counting down the days to Christmas by marking doors or lighting candles to count the passage of days. Later, homemade wooden calendars would be made including those in a Nativity motif.

     Gerhard Lang would offer the first commercial Advent calendar in the early part of the 20th century. It was based on a tradition his German mother passed down to him with 24 boxes that opened to reveal pictures. Other versions would feature Bible verses.

     Advent calendars would lose popularity during World War II due to paper rationing. They would come back in the public eye when President Dwight D. Eisenhower was pictured with his grandchildren holding one.

      Placing chocolates behind the countdown doors became the norm sometime later, though when exactly is open for debate.

      Now Advent calendars are conduits to Christmas containing everything from sweets to any number of prizes from our favorite franchises as evidenced here with a Funko variety.

Dust off your favorite Christmas special and celebrate the day. Not only is it the Eve of Christmas Eve, but it’s National Christmas Movie Marathon Day.

   After nearly a month of holiday traditions, we can finally incorporate a non holiday with our Advent calendar.

     My personal favorite is A Christmas Story. I was first exposed to the Yuletide rib tickler courtesy of my parents. They had recorded it offa HBO sometime around 1985.

   It was always welcome and when TBS began with the 24-hour marathon it fast became the soundtrack to Christmas Day.

    The exploits of Ralphie and family is closely followed by Christmas Vacation. As I mentioned a few days ago, mom’s favorite was White Christmas.

     And, let us not forget those beloved specials that we waited all year to see each holiday season. The first was Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol that aired in 1962.

    Rankin/Bass tossed it’s animated hat into the mix with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in 1964. A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered the following year. The Grinch That Stole Christmas first aired in 1966.

   And, more followed.

   To this day new specials are offered as are holiday themed movies.

   So, join us, and this Funko snowman-themed Penguin from Batman’s rogues gallery who bears an unsettling resemblance to Rudolph’s narrator.

Of all the Christmas traditions, maybe the biggest is gift giving.

Like all reciprocal obligations, there are rules. Christmas is no different with four to be exact.

The first, and probably the most fun, is Something They Want. Yeah, the category the includes toys and video games.

Next up is Something They Need. Not as much fun, but at least helpful.

…than receive

While this may fall under the above noted category, the third on our list is Something to Wear. It could be an article that’s needed like a coat or something whimsical like showy sneakers.

The final tic on our leader board is Something to Read. This can fall under the first category on our list, but it can also qualify for the second.

To help decide what to buy that special person, it never hurts to ask. It may also help those on a seasonal budget. A little suggestion of what to give also helps reduce some of the holiday stress.

However, one downside of asking questions is it leads to fewer surprises when correct assumptions are made about what’s under the wrapping paper. That doesn’t mean some aren’t above a little cheating. Some 10 to 20 percent of recipients admit to a little peeking prior to the big day.

Gift giving doesn’t have to be upsetting – unless you’re buying for someone like Jean Grey – so have fun.

Department store Santa’s used to be a dime a dozen. Now, they’re kind of a thing of the past. Like Santa’s who stood on street corners ringing bells asking for loose change for their charity of choice.

They still show for a special day or two at the mall. Kids still queue for a stop on his lap and a quick photo op. Santa stills ride herd on Christmas parades. Once designed to kick off the shopping season, these loiters along sidewalk streets are now more ornamental and traditional.

Yet there was a time when a visit to Santa Claus at the store was an event. He was the destination. It was your opportunity to get that wish list to the man responsible for making it come true.

And, all this started sometime about mid 19th century. Not in department stores, but candy shops.

Whatever the case, candy store owner James Parkinson is credited with hiring the first commercial Santa. His Philadelphia shop hosted the man in red for Christmas 1841. By 1846 three other Philly shops were sporting Santas.

As department stores began to pop up on the urban landscape in the 1860s and ‘70s, so did Claus clones.

As the new century dawned, so did a new tradition.

With store Santa’s became the norm during the holiday season, department stores began to up the ante. By 1920 Gimbel’s sponsored the first Christmas parade in Philadelphia.

Another followed in 1923, but the granddaddy of all holiday parades began in 1924 when Macy’s entered the field.

Post World War II and increased disposable incomes brought more and more shoppers to stores. To lure them in, department stores built larger and more elaborate displays even using real reindeer.

If these faux Kris Kringle’s ever return is not something we can answer now, hopefully they won’t be anything like Santa Joker here.

    If you haven’t made your travel plans before this, now if the perfect time to catch up on our Advent calendar as today marks the first of the busiest travel days of the Christmas season and you may expect delays.

Tomorrow and the 22nd are the other two.

The after Christmas rush to get home is no picnic, either. Those days are the weekend following the holiday or Dec. 27 and 28.

It might not be a big surprise Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are much less congested days to travel. Fares are cheaper, too.

A record 122.5-million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles this year for the holidays between Dec. 22 and Jan. 1.

The cost for all this transportation is projected to be $1.35 trillion.

Some are a bit more fortunate in that they can fly under their own power, i.e.Rogue, thus saving a bundle in money and time.

For as long as most of us can remember, the ideal has been for a white Christmas.

    The  classic concept may have began with Charles Dickens and his A Christmas Carol. The snowy backdrop set a tone for holidays to come for centuries.

    Composer Irving Berlin tugged at patriotic and home sick heartstrings with his White Christmas recorded in 1940 just in time for the war.

    Bing Crosby would lend his name and fame to the composition and concept with his rendition in 1941. The song would make its way to Hollywood for the movie Holiday Inn.

    Crosby would further the myth with the self-titled White Christmas in 1954. The film co-starred the crooner’s comedic partner Bob Hope.

…White Christmas.

    On a personal note, it wasn’t Christmas in our house when I was growing up unless my mother got to watch White Christmas on television. This was pre VHS, DVD/BluRay and streaming. You had to be in front of the cathode ray tube when one of the big three networks decided to air the film.

    Life was a little easier for the mutants of Xavier’s mansion with Storm in residence.