Rounding the curve, dead last… a Christmas character

The holidays.  Snow in Springfield, Homer Santa flying overhead, Christmas Lights that don’t light up because the Brown Trash Wookiee never took them down.  You feel the spirit, right?  Reminds me of a place where a sadistic man with government experience can feel right at home.  No, not the DMV sillys, my home.  Where else would I go to write stuff for you dear reader?

With Christmas, Kwanzaa, Solstice, etc. right around the corner and Hannukah already blazing away, I thought I’d go back and talk about a character EA brought to the game during the 2012 Holiday Event.  Like Homer, I’m just a big kid and also love Christmas so much.  Without further ado, the one, the only, the non-homework eating Santa’s Little Helper aka SLH for acronym-loving tappers.

You really don’t have to go far to find everyone’s favorite failed racing greyhound.  He makes his debut right from go in Season 1, Episode 1: Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.  I swear that guy is in my head, or at least my email lol.  This is a classic Christmas episode and for me is second only to The Fight Before Christmas (probably because that episode is like a TOH for the holidays).

The episode starts at Springfield Elementary Annual Christmas Pagent (I love how right from go, the quality of the learning done there is lampooned.  This is where the “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” ditty became famous and also where Lisa proves she’s an adept fire juggler as Tawanga, the Santa Claus of the South Seas.

The family is getting into the holiday spirit and Homer is decorating the house.

Of course stupid Flanders has a better façade for his house.  I find it poetic that this isn’t the case in TSTO.  Let’s all hear it for silly little game justice!

Off to the Springfield Mall for holiday shopping (I hope everyone survive Black Friday in the US).  Bart gets a Mother tattoo for Marge’s present.  The cost to laser it off uses up all of the fams’ Holiday savings and with Mr. Burns cancelling bonuses for semi-skilled workers, it looks like a crap Christmas for our favorite family.

Homer’s bargain shopping doesn’t bode well but you can always count on a solution at Moe’s.  Homer can just get a job as Santa like Barney.  I hear they’re pretty selective.  Like… do you like children, yes, you’re hired, selective.

Like a lot of Homer’s schemes, this one doesn’t pan out like he expected.  All his work as Santa nets him 13 bucks and just like life and the game we love, you really can’t get much for that.

Have no fear though, Barney has a sure shot at the local dog track to fix everything.  No. 6 aka Whirlwind in the 4^th race.  True to form, Homer bets it all on a different dog, No. 8 aka Santa’s Little Helper, with 99 to 1 odds.  He thought the name was a sign.  Unfortunately Bart is right that it’s a coincidence and With odds like that and experience with your own TSTO dog track, you should know the outcome.

SLH comes in dead last and Homer loses the last of his holiday money on Christmas Eve.  No need to be downhearted though dear reader.  SLH’s owner runs him off and runs straight into the arms of Homer.  Commence destiny and hilarity foreverishmore.

He may be a loser and pathetic, but he becomes a Simpson.  Homer brings the pup home and saves Christmas.  The holiday really isn’t about consumerism and big presents or decorations, it’s all about family and love.

I for one was so happy when SLH joined our towns.  Granted, I got him for 200 Santa Coins and not the whopping 150 donuts he is now.  I really hope for a price reduction and/or holiday currency option for SLH this year.  He is in so many episodes, I really just can’t imagine him not in someone’s town.  For more with what EA could do with him, check out this post.

As an aside, the original Snowball II also makes her debut in this episode so maybe she’s coming in the Nog Hog’s sack, eh?  Marge explains in a Christmas Letter about the family’s year that the first snowball was unexpectedly run over and went to kitty heaven.

Well, hope everyone is having the time of their life this holiday.  TTFN… Wookiee out!