Today is the very last day for Christmas shopping, so if you haven't done it yet...what are you waiting for? Get busy! And then once you're done, why not check out Day #24 of the PEP CULTURE ADVENT CALENDAR? I promised that for the final two days of the calendar, I would feature two of my favourite Christmas stories. I'll admit that when I first read this story, I welled up a bit at the end. I know it seems like a strange admission - getting misty eyed over a comic book. But this story really tugged at my heartstrings when I was a kid, and I hope it will make you feel good too.
We are going back to the Christmas season of 1984 for this tale - and come to think of it, the only thing I remember about Christmas 1984 was that it was the year that Santa brought me a Care Bear. Good Luck Bear, to be exact.
I'm also wondering if 1984 was a year in which truancy was at a high. I know that many of us have probably cut a class or two when we were in high school. Trust me, I faked being sick on a couple of occasions just so I could have a mental health day away from the kids who used to bully me in the eleventh grade. But the problem with truancy is that if you miss too many days of school, it can get you in a lot of trouble - especially if you happen to be a minor. And truant officers were employed by school districts to nip truancy in the bud. Of course, many truant officers have to keep up appearances, and they have to put on an aura of toughness to put the fear into the teens so that they will never ditch class again.
But did you know that Riverdale High School has its own truant officer on its payroll? In the story "The Truant Officer", we're introduced to Dawson, a lean and mean truant officer who takes his job very seriously. So seriously that he's not above busting three boys caught at the video arcade during school hours on the final day before Christmas vacation. And as Betty and Veronica watch from a distance, Veronica tells Betty that although she doesn't believe in ditching school, she thinks that Dawson is a complete jerk who would actually bust his own mother for truancy. Harsh. But Betty seems to agree with her. I mean, on one hand, Dawson is great at his job. But it comes at the cost of being an outcast from the Riverdale High student body and faculty.
And we learn just how much of an outcast Dawson is when we take a peek at the annual student-faculty Christmas party. It's been an annual tradition for years, and Betty and Veronica take pride in the event. Everybody has a lot of fun at the party, and it allows students and teachers to bond with each other in a friendly setting and not have to talk about grades, book reports, and detentions. And everyone is having fun until Dawson makes an appearance.
Dawson heads right over to the refreshment table and grabs some punch and a couple of cookies, but his mere presence makes Betty and Veronica very uncomfortable. Betty wonders if Dawson is there to bust more students skipping class - which makes no sense as I'm under the assumption that this party is taking place after school. Veronica is even more vicious as she is completely rude when it comes to describing Dawson and talks about him behind his back. Betty and Veronica even note that when Dawson sits down and eats his snack, no students or faculty members seem to want to have anything to do with him. When Dawson finally leaves, Veronica says "Good riddance" under her breath. Wow...I get that Dawson is public enemy number one as far as the students of Riverdale High are concerned, but this is too much even for Veronica...especially at this time of year. I get that Veronica might have a heart of gold underneath that snobby exterior, but she sure isn't showing it now!
Betty and Veronica decide to have a chat with Mr. Weatherbee and compliment him on the decorations. Mr. Weatherbee smiles and says that he can't take all the credit. Dawson did quite a lot of work on them. That admission sends Veronica into disbelief as she can't believe someone so mean could churn out such beautiful decorations. But Mr. Weatherbee says that Dawson is filled with surprises. Did you know that in addition to being Riverdale's top truant officer, he also fixes dolls for the girls' club, and volunteers at the local library? And that's not all. There's a reason why he takes his job as a truant officer very seriously.
Ah, so Dawson was once a bad little boy who skipped school all the time. At the time of his own adolescence, he was probably one of those leather jacket wearing guys who would rather spend the time racing cars along the drag instead of conjugating verbs and practicing long division. I imagine that his permanent school record probably caused him to lose opportunities as a result, and he had to work twice as hard to redeem himself. Mr. Weatherbee tells Betty and Veronica that while he may appear to be hard as nails, he only does it because he doesn't want to see anyone else make the same mistakes he did. And Weatherbee's words certainly weigh heavily on the minds of Betty and Veronica.
It also appears as though there's a reason why Dawson has built up a protective wall around himself. He can't bear to have anyone see him spend the holidays alone. Since his sister moved out of town, the holidays have been very sad for him. Poor guy. It's all beginning to make some sense as to why Dawson is the way he is. Very few family members and friends around. It's easy to see why he has a hard time connecting with people.
However, Dawson's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Christmas carols. Dawson is wondering where they are coming from, and is surprised to find that the source is closer than he thinks. Right there standing on his front lawn singing Christmas songs are Betty, Veronica, Archie, Chuck, and Jughead. Dawson is left confused. He wonders why a group of students are singing for him...especially since he doesn't exactly have a lot of friends from Riverdale High.
Betty and Veronica explain that Weatherbee told him everything and they wanted to make amends to him for misjudging him. And if throwing an impromptu Christmas party at Dawson's house is their way of showing how much they care, so be it. Dawson is touched by the gesture, and immediately grabs some treats of his own to share with the group.
As Dawson serves his guests, Betty comments on Dawson's huge heart and says that if he would open it up more to the kids at school, they might be more receptive to him, but Dawson makes a statement that makes absolute sense.
That's a wrap on Christmas Eve. I'm going to leave you be now so you can finish wrapping those last minute gifts. Tomorrow will be the conclusion of the PEP CULTURE ADVENT CALENDAR, and I'm actually going to keep the story a bit of a secret until the big day. All I will tell you is that this story is my absolute favourite Archie Christmas story ever written.
My eyes welled up too..lovely story..
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