Original Commentary
The fact that Kimberly is playing along with all this (for more than one panel) surprises me too. This story arc actually began with the Sunday comic on the previous page.

Modern Commentary
They both know what's going on here. Nobody's fooling anyone and nobody's trying to fool anyone. But you can't just admit that you actually hadn't already bought a gift.
The "it's something you don't like" is, of course, to head off any questions about why he didn't get Kimberly anything.
Are there foods that he likes but she doesn't? Almost certainly. I don't that he could name one at this point in their relationship and the generic "something you don't like" is funnier than explaining it. - Terrence

Original Commentary
Brisbane Adams- not quite super spy material- despite already owning the bow tie. I should take the time to mention that this was the other arc where I came up with the idea and ending, while Terrence wrote all the stuff in between. I believe it came out well.

Modern Commentary
So, yeah. He's lying. She knows he's lying. He knows she knows he's lying. And so on. Nobody is fooling anybody here, but pretenses must be maintained. Christmas is about giving gifts under certain false pretenses; that's the whole point of Santa Claus.
Just as well she handed him the gift wrap. Otherwise, he'd have to pretend he wasn't looking for it. - Terrence

Original Commentary
I've been married for several years now and I have found that men are not good at surprising their signifigant others- at least at first. Fortuantely for both Brisband and Kimberly, learning how to properly surpise the other is a trait learned through trial by fire.

Modern Commentary
The other side of the elaborate social dance there is that Brisbane isn't actually very good at hiding things.
"Victor's Lingerie" is inspired by Victoria's Secret, a well-known lingerie shop. - Terrence

Original Commentary
If I were Kimberly, I would has asked the sales man how much it would have cost for one of thoes underpants half mannequins. That would have look great under the tree and she could have passed it off for modern art.

Modern Commentary
This is why things things developed slowly between Brisbane and Kimberly. Movement must be reciprocal. Escalation must be simultaneous. The alternative is to become vulnerable if it is not reciprocated.
Gifts of lingerie are an escalation. There is an intimacy there that is not present in the gift of a juicer. There's an implied expectation of seeing the other person wearing that lingerie in the future. Thus, Kimberly must also escalate.
If she does not, things are in a tentative, uncertain state. So unless they are both acting at the same time, they are waiting for the other one to say it first, to paraphrase the title. - Terrence

Original Commentary
When I got the scripts to this arc, Friday's comic had only one panel, but somehow I mis read Friday and Sunday's comics so the first two panels of Sunday's comic ened up on Friday's comic. I think it worked out very well. Enjoy the happy accident.

Modern Commentary
Yeah, this was going to originally end on "You know what they say about good things coming in large packages...", which isn't bad. I think it's better this way though.
The Namir Deiter for that day was three panels. Typically, if we've got one-panel comics for both strips on the same day, it's because we expect to not have much time or we're catching up on missed comics. If the ND was something easy, I'd say that we wanted something quick because we had plans on Christmas. I mean, I'm sure that something went on and we were there. But sometimes Christmas plans are an all-day thing.
Could be that Isabel had worked ahead on ND. With You Say it First, I'm usually re-writing scripts until the last minute. Anyhow, this works better with three panels since the punchline isn't the double entendre but, instead, the anticipation when Kimberly opens the gift from the lingerie store. - Terrence

Modern Commentary
Yep! Lingerie stores generally also sell robes and sleepwear. The nice thing about sleepwear is that there aren't nearly as many sizes to deal with. And it's getting colder this time of year.
So yeah, Brisbane considered getting her something a bit more personal but chickened out. My notes for the last panel say "maybe have Kimberly come back with something else and Brisbane comment on how he's glad his present got back to it's old size". Y'know, since he had seen the juicer box earlier and now it's a box for skimpy briefs.
Better without that, though. - Terrence