I have a lot of pictures to share with you guys sent in during the last week or two. But we'll start off with the pics sent in by Sheldonista Leslie P...

Leslie's a new reader to "Sheldon", but after plowing through the archives in record time, she decided she needed to make her own plush Arthur, and all his little outfits to match.

Here he is writing a letter, perhaps to God...

Here he is, sitting up on his famous lamp...

And here he is in superhero mode, dressed up as his alter-ego "The Duck"...

And, in a shot that I almost overlooked, here he is Googling "horses beggars wishes" like he did in this strip...

Leslie, you are awesome. Thank you so much for these pics.

Just a reminder: You have two days left to pick up Pure Ducky Goodness, the first Sheldon book collection, for only $10. Just ten smackers! 136 pages of awesomeness for just ten smackers! It's a great way to start in on your collection -- but it ends Wednesday.

Also, if you live in Kuala Lumpur or in the Upper Amazon Basin -- or even someplace local -- you'll want to take advantage of our free, worldwide shipping on Sheldon Original Art before Wednesday. Anywhere in the world...free!

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After a wonderful few days off spending time with family in San Diego and LA, I'm back in the ol' studio and bloggin' away.

No real news to report from the days off, except this: For Christmas, my wife and I got each other only one li'l gift each. My gift from her? It's pretty awesome, actually: Star Wars bed sheets. They're quite ridiculous. I love 'em.

Also: Lots of e-mails from American Sheldonistas reporting that Hobnobs are suddenly appearing in lots of new stores in mass quantities. And behold: A cartoonist in LA gets instantly fatter!

Also, also: Please e-mail me any Christmas-day photos of family unwrapping their Sheldon books, etc. That kind of stuff means a lot to me.

Also, also, also: Regarding today's strip, I think "God Bless America" is a pretty awesome cussing-replacement phrase. Try it when you're really mad: It's funny...especially when there's a tenth-of-a-second pause after "God".

What's the best cuss replacement you've ever heard used?

(Sent in by Sheldon reader Chris W. Thanks, Chris!)

I got an increadibly kind e-mail this morning, and it absolutely made my day. It's e-mails like this that make being a silly little cartoonist so absolutely rewarding...

Got my Nerds on Parade Artist Edition the other day, and decided I would save it for a calm moment after all this holiday craziness.

Well, last night I couldn't sleep for freaking out about unemployment (10 months and counting ... woo? hoo?) and would I ever get a job again and what the HECK should I do with life ... so finally at 3am I told myself to go get a book to read. Ah ha! The new book!

I settled in under the blankets and began reading, and the cat settled in on top of me (do pugs know exactly where to stand on you for maximum effect, like cats do? I swear, this one has kidney-seeking radar in her paws...). And soon I was laughing, smiling, happy, and not freaking out about money any longer that night. I was able to finish the book, turn off the light, and (gently, so as not to trigger the engagement of the Claws Of Death that the cat deploys upon any hint of "getting out of bed") rolled over and went to sleep right away.

Thanks for a lovely evening with the boys, Dave. I'm going to get my stack of other Sheldon books and leave them on the bedside table for future such freakouts!

The U.S. Postal Service says that any 1st Class or Priority Mail sent by the 20th will be delivered in the U.S. in time for Christmas...but we're asking that you get your final orders in by the 17th. (The 18th at the absolute latest.) We'll continue to ship every day, even after that -- but getting your order in before then ensures timely delivery.

Aaaaaand for last-minute gift-givers, a quick guide:

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1.) FOR NEW SHELDON READERS, or for friends/relatives you'd like to introduce to the strip, go with the 1st Sheldon collection, "Pure Ducky Goodness". It's a great starter collection at 136 pages, and is only $10 in December!

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2.) FOR DOG LOVERS, go with "Pugs: God's Little Weirdos". It collects all the pug-related strips into one book, and contains the special, expanded story "Little Lost Pug". (Worth noting: There are just three copies left of the Artist Editions.)

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3.) FOR LONG-TIME SHELDON READERS, the new collection, "Nerds on Parade" is definitely the way to go. And if you think they'd like it, pick up one of the last 34 Artist Editions.

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4.) For THE ARTIST IN YOUR LIFE, I'd recommend either the "How To Make Webcomics" book, or the "Artist's Decision Tree" poster.

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5.) Finally, if you have A SUPER-HUGE-SHELDON FAN in your life, you can surprise them with the Original Art from their favorite strip. Shipping is free in December, anywhere in the world -- which adds up to $10 savings for some folks. To get your favorite original art, just navigate to it in the Sheldon archives and click the "Buy Today's Original Art" button located under the strip.

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And to everyone who sent in kind words upon receiving their new copy of "Nerds" -- thank you! That means the world to me that you're enjoyin' it. And remember: If anything with your Sheldon order looks wrong, do drop me a line. Even if it's the post office's fault, we'll do everything we can to make it right in time for Christmas!

Sheldonista Marisa V. wrote in with a hilarious addendum to the "It's a Wonderful Life" toons from last week. I had to share this with you guys:

I am a long time reader and have been enjoying your "Questionable Moments from 'It's a Wonderful Life'" series, as this beloved Christmas movie has some problems.

But this segment seems now to be over, and I am wondering how it is you missed the most hilarious moment in that movie, where we discover what happened to Mary?

Towards the end of George's lesson, when he's realizing how truly awful everything would be if he'd never been born, he has a horrible thought. Mary! What's happened to Mary?! He demands to know from Clarence, who doesn't want to tell him. "You're-you're not going to like it George!"

And the suspense is killing us. What could have happened? I mean, we've already seen the entire town go to hell. His brother is dead, so are all the people his brother saved in WWII. The pharmacist he worked for is a criminal and a drunk, and Clarence doesn't want to say what happened to Mary? Why? Is she dead? A destitute alcoholic? Married to a horrible abusive man?

But no! It is a fate much worse than all of those put together! Because George was never born, Mary never married! She-she became a librarian! The horror!!!

*screams and faints*

And that, that is the most questionable moment from "It's a Wonderful Life."

Marisa, you are awesome. That's very funny.

Just a heads up for Canadians, Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, Europeans, and the 4,800 Sheldon readers in Kuala Lumpur:

Thursday, Dec. 11th is the last day to order from the Sheldon Store and get it there by Christmas!

Americans! You have until Dec. 17th to get your orders in, provided you're not using "Media Mail". If you're ordering via First Class or Priority Mail...you're fine up until the 17th. We'll still be shipping daily after that, but any orders after the 17th will be a little too close for comfort.

So get your orders in now, because the postman's deadlines are knockin'!

I gotta admit, when a Sheldonista sent me this, I didn't immediately spot this as viral advertising. That's how clever the text-integration is. It's clever.

Verrrrry clever.

All the more so, because there was an 8-year old part of me that was going "Finally! The theme park recognition I've always wanted...."