"The Feeling Is Mucilage" - A Betty Christmas Tale

I think that by the time the 1990s rolled around, I was immersed in the world of Archie comics, and I became a full-time collector.  And that's why for Day #15 of the PEP CULTURE ADVENT CALENDAR, we're going back to the 1990s.

And this story will feature my second favourite character in all of Riverdale.

While Jughead will always be my favourite Archie character, I have a huge soft spot for Betty as well.  Betty is just the epitome of positive thoughts and kindness, and it's very hard to find anything to dislike about her - except maybe her obsessive desire to be with a guy who can't choose between her and her best friend.  And I hope that in this story, you will learn a lot about Betty and her own family traditions.  For instance, did you know that Betty is actually the youngest of three?  And did you know that Betty even has siblings?

The story is called "The Feeling Is Mucilage" and it originally appeared in "Betty #4".  It's set on Christmas morning, and the Cooper family is unwrapping all of their gifts.  Now, just to introduce all of them starting with Betty and going clockwise, next to Betty is Betty's older brother, Chic.  Chic is very rarely seen, but I believe his first appearances were in the Little Archie series.  Next to Chic is Betty's sister Polly, who at the time worked as a journalist in San Francisco.  On the bottom is Betty's father, Hal.  And the matriarch of the family is named...wait for it...Alice Cooper.  But not the School's Out For Summer Alice Cooper. 

(Oh, and for the record, in the comic books, the Cooper family is much more saner than the one portrayed in "Riverdale".)

Anyway, there are two common things that seem to be taking place in the Cooper household this Christmas morning.  One is that the Cooper family really seem to be enjoying their gifts given to them by each other...and the other thing is that most of their gifts seem to be electronic themed.  Well, I suppose it was the 1990s.  Heck, in 2018, I imagine that trend will continue!

And, it gets the family thinking about a time in which they used to make each other gifts that came from the heart - and at a time in which the Cooper family didn't have a lot of money to spend for the holidays.  Each person in the Cooper family talks about some of the gifts they made.

Such as the time that Chic made everyone a weathervane that got permanently stuck in one direction.  And when Hal remembered getting a sweater made by his mother that was so itchy that he won a dance contest in the 1960s!

Then Hal reminisces about the time he nearly broke his arm (and killed a mailman) trying to get Chic's radio-controlled airplane off of the Cooper family roof.  Wow...sounds like something Archie would do!  And probably HAS!

In between a debate on whether caterpillars have ears, Betty and Alice talk about the pink ceramic caterpillar that Betty made in a ceramics class she took in middle school (or "The New Archies" timeline if you want to get really specific).  Unfortunately, Betty's cat Caramel got a little too close to the caterpillar and it smashed to smithereens. 

And Betty remembers back even further to when she was "Little Archie" aged, and Little Archie decided to surprise her by making a bamboo boomerang for her for Christmas.  His plan was to hide inside of a giant gift box and surprise her with the gift at her front door.  Little Archie's one flaw in the plan was that he recruited Reggie to direct him to Betty's house.

Needless to say, Archie's plan didn't work out well.  At all.

It is very cool to see the Cooper family talk about family traditions and how such simple handmade gifts can inspire so much discussion about love, joy, and Christmas cheer.  And it turns out that Alice has a surprise for the Cooper family.

It appears as though Alice has taken the time to glue the shattered caterpillar and piece it together (and apparently it changed colour from pink to green).  But what is important is that the caterpillar (minus ears) is whole again - much like the Cooper family this Christmas season.

But seriously, what a great story this was to read.  It really goes to show that sometimes the best holiday traditions can come from the simplest of crafts.  And sometimes the most simple of handmade gifts can provide the greatest holiday decorations and stories.

Which is why I kept the little elf candy jar that I made all the way back in Christmas 1987.  It even still has a thirty-one year old piece of candy inside.  Though, I think it's a little bit TOO old to enjoy.

So that's a wrap on Day #15.  Do stay tuned for Day #16.  The Lodge family decides to host a Hawaiian themed Christmas party and Archie and Jughead are invited.  What could possibly go wrong?