So, to prepare for that, I thought I'd feature a tale that has a lot of physical comedy, and a lot of laughs. And if you're Mr. Weatherbee, I hope he has good medical insurance because it appears as though he has been afflicted with a Christmas curse!
The story can be found in the Archie Giant Series Magazine title "Archie's Christmas Stocking #31", and at first, we'll see that Mr. Weatherbee is in a great mood. But as the story progresses, we will see that Mr. Weatherbee has a bit of a dilemma.
Which is why this story just happens to also be called "Mr. Weatherbee's Dilemma". Given how happy Mr. Weatherbee is at the beginning of this story, we can determine that it is probably close to Christmas vacation. In fact, given how much snow is on the ground, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the last day before school lets out for the two week winter break. I know on the last day of school before the holidays, I was really excited too!
And it looks as though Mr. Weatherbee's mood is about to get better. Normally when Mr. Weatherbee runs into Archie Andrews, it's an encounter that usually leads to nothing but trouble. But this time, it's a good encounter, as Archie has a surprise for him. The entire school has chipped in to buy Mr. Weatherbee a very special Christmas gift, and Mr. Weatherbee is touched by the generosity of his students. In fact, Mr. Weatherbee is so distracted by the kind gesture that neither he or Archie notice Reggie skulking around in the bushes. Reggie's not exactly into the Christmas spirit where Archie is concerned and he wants to break up the happy moment by throwing a snowball at Archie when he's not expecting it. But just as Reggie tosses the snowball, Mr. Weatherbee accidentally drops the gift on the ground. And when Archie bends down to pick it up...
Obviously, Archie is upset at this, and a cowardly Reggie runs and hides knowing that he hit the wrong target. But despite getting a snowball in the face, Mr. Weatherbee's mood is still at a high. And although he wants to find out who threw the snowball at him, he only wants to wish him a very merry Christmas. But as soon as Mr. Weatherbee says the word "merry"...
Yeah, this is where the dilemma starts to take root. Something inside of that snowball seems to have caused a Christmas curse to fall upon Mr. Weatherbee where every time he says the words Merry Christmas, something happens to him. It's kind of similar to that show "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" where every time someone says the secret word of the day, everybody screams real loud. Only in this case, the only person screaming is Mr. Weatherbee, and he is usually screaming in pain and agony.
Mr. Weatherbee decides that he'll just go inside the school and sit in his office to collect himself. And as Mr. Weatherbee proceeds to walk up the front steps of the school, he realizes that they are a little bit slippery. But he manages to make it up to the top before realizing that he forgot to thank Archie for the gift. So, Weatherbee turns towards Archie and attempts to wish him a Merry Christmas...
I'm guessing that Mr. Weatherbee is now probably going to dock Mr. Svenson some pay for not salting the front steps. And, I'm guessing that Mr. Weatherbee is kind of hoping that his office chair is well cushioned in the seat. That did not look pleasant.
Fortunately, Mr. Weatherbee's office is equipped with a brand new chair that was another Christmas gift, and he is anxious to sit down in his office and relax. He decides that this is a good opportunity to open up the present that Archie had given him, and he makes the mistake of reading the card that is attached to the gift out loud...which happens to have the words MERRY CHRISTMAS written on them.
I wonder if this is how the supposed "war on Christmas" began? Who can say, really? But this freak accident is certainly enough to squash Mr. Weatherbee's Christmas spirit once and for all. I guess it's a good thing that Mr. Weatherbee's office appears to be on the ground floor so that he doesn't have too far to fall. But I'm sure that Weatherbee's goal is to do the exact opposite of falling.
But here comes Miss Grundy who wishes him a Merry Christmas, and asks him why he's hanging out the window. But Mr. Weatherbee is in no mood to have a conversation with Miss Grundy, and yells at her not to say the words Merry Christmas...
...and proceeds to electrocute himself after falling into a bush decorated with Christmas lights. Oh, Weatherbee...maybe you should just start saying Happy Holidays instead. And of course, Miss Grundy seems to be no help as Mr. Weatherbee's Christmas spirit seems to be permanently shocked out of him.
Yeah, I think Mr. Weatherbee has had enough of Christmas for the day, and poor Archie can only respond with a bright red question mark. It's not as if he did anything wrong. He was just trying to present Mr. Weatherbee with a Christmas present from the school. But all Mr. Weatherbee can do is rant about how he is stuck being the principal of a school that has Archie in it and he is cursing the day they met, and he is hating everything about Christmas. I mean, granted, Mr. Weatherbee's had a tough day, but I think he's overdoing it a bit. Miss Grundy suggests that Mr. Weatherbee finally open up his gift...and not only does the gift make Mr. Weatherbee see the light, but I think that it ultimately ended Mr. Weatherbee's Christmas curse. Have a look.
Of course, it might have made for a funnier ending if a light fixture fell from Professor Flutesnoot's ceiling and beaned Mr. Weatherbee on the head...but then again, I do have a slightly dark sense of humour. And besides, Weatherbee has been through enough this story. But what a nice gift that Archie and the gang gave him. And he's absolutely right, you know? I can't imagine Riverdale High without Mr. Weatherbee as the principal. Yeah, he can come across as being a tough as nails guy...but inside, he genuinely cares about the welfare of all of his students. Even Archie Andrews.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and on Day #24, I'll feature my absolute favourite Betty and Veronica Christmas story...which features a tough-as-nails truant officer who might be swayed by the power of Christmas.
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