New Tent Joke Three: The Revenge

 Soooo . . .

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went camping, late June in 1897, to get away from the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

They had found a spot not far from the quaint little hamlet of Crockershire, and after their first week had become friendly with the locals, stopping in at the local inn for the occasional meal when they felt like something besides the trout they had caught. Holmes even spent one afternoon solving a little mystery for the local baker, a German named Kratzbergen, which Watson laughingly called "The Adventure of the Gingerbread Boy." All of the locals found that the height of comedy, and you would have too, had you been there.

One evening, after returning from a long hike, Sherlock Holmes dropped into a camp chair, sighed, and looked up at the stars.

"Is it Christmas, Watson?" he asked his friend.

"It should probably be Christmas in Ballarat," Watson replied thoughtfully, "Australia being on the opposite side of the globe with the reverse of our current climate. I mean, December 25th was only picked as the date by Constantine the Great in 336 A.D., so there's no reason Australia could not have their own date for it in their winter. Several countries have their own Independence Day, and our North American friends celebrate Thanksgiving on two different days more than a month apart. It seems only natural that someone should celebrate Christmas in June. Personally, I've always enjoyed both our birthdays being in June so we can celebrate them in warm weather,* so the change would probably be refreshing for so many people. But why do you ask, Holmes?"

"Do you remember that German baker that I was of assistance to, who wanted to reward us?"

"Yes, he was quite delighted with our help."

"Once again, you fail to notice a significant detail, much like our previous camping trip."

Sherlock Holmes stood up, revealing a crushed pastry on the camp stool where he had just been sitting.

"I was wondering if it was Christmas, Watson," Holmes sighed, "because someone has stollen our taint!"

***************************

At this point, Yakety Sax probably has to start playing as Watson chases Holmes around the campsite, but you can't really do that in prose. Also can't believe I made it to a third try before finishing with a pun. The other two might have been set-up for this one.

* Watson's opinion does not reflect that of the staff or management of Sherlock Peoria, unless you've actually heard us say that at some point, in which case, yes, it does.