The first extended story arc that deals exclusively with Calvin trying to be good so Santa Claus gives him presents on Christmas.
Tropes
- Being Good Sucks: Calvin hates being a good kid, and has to work very hard to resist the temptation to behave until after Christmas.
- Never My Fault: Calvin insists that he's a good kid and that all the bad things that he does are because of circumstances beyond his control. If the strip is meant to be taken chronologically (with the characters just never actually getting older), the last year has featured Calvin trying to play hooky, hold his baby-sitter's exam notes hostage, get Susie in trouble at school for his own misdeeds, push the family car into a ditch and then try to run away, and locking his baby-sitter outside the house.
- No Ending: Usually, the arcs that have Calvin fighting to behave before Christmas for the sake of his haul of presents end with him celebrating that he got his gifts and ended up on Santa's nice list. This arc, however, trails off the week before Christmas, and while we do get one strip that indicates Calvin got his presents, it doesn't really connect to this arc in any way.
