Ho Ho Ho

(Since Christmas Eve is a week from today, on a Monday, I’m sharing my Christmas post with you now.)

Once a year I write about my holiday beliefs. This is your lucky day.

I thought and thought about what to write for my Christmas blog. I read about the origins of celebrating on December 25^th, and then I thought some more. I know from reading the Bible, books, articles and listening in church that Christ wasn’t actually born on that date, but eventually it was chosen as a day to celebrate His birth. I still wasn’t sure what I’d write about. Logically, a Christian should probably celebrate His birth every single day of the year. Many of us do.

Then I remembered a song. It’s the only song that will make me cry no matter where I am or what I’m doing. It doesn’t matter if I’m shopping at the mall or sitting at my desk, or even watching television. If I hear this song, it makes me cry. O Holy Night is the most beautiful and powerful music I’ve ever heard.

When the verse comes up that says, “Fall on your knees, and hear the angels voices…” I just blubber. The funny thing is that I very seldom cry, and yet this song will do it every time.

CLICK HERE to hear O Holy Night, and listen to the end. I’m amazed that Charlotte Church (love her last name) can hit that oh-so-high note.

Christmas has been neatly deleted from schools, public buildings, stores and all types of places, but the joy of the Lord is still in my heart. Someone might wish me Happy Holidays, but I’ll always wish them a Merry Christmas.

Yes, Santa came to our house when I was a child, to my house when my daughter was small, and he kept coming after my grandson was born. However, first and foremost was the real reason for celebrating – the birth of Christ. We never lost sight of the real reason.

I know not everyone believes the way I do, and that’s okay. Celebrate whatever you want to in any way that pleases you. I’ll do the same.

Someone might think, “But, hey! She writes murder mysteries. How could a Christian write something like that?” Well, there really are murders and there really are mysteries. My intent isn’t to gross someone out, but to entertain. While there is drama in my books, there’s also some humor. My characters, for the most part, have heart. They’re just ordinary people who sometimes find themselves involved in extraordinary circumstances. Although one of my characters goes to church every week, the books aren’t religious. Oh, well, there were a couple of books that included some Church Ladies who wanted to help solve crimes, but they still aren’t religious stories. And the ladies were fun and funny.

No, I don’t keep my Christianity and writing exclusive from each other. I’m simply not a writer of religious stories. Might be fun though.

So back to Christmas and O Holy Night. I confess, as if you couldn’t tell already, I’m a Christian and I love the Lord with all my heart. And I celebrate each and every day. I pray for people. I try to do the right thing, but often fail miserably. Am I perfect? Absolutely not! I make more mistakes than you can shake a stick at, but I am forgiven, thanks to the birth of one small boy.

In addition to the song, I have a favorite decoration. It’s a figurine of Santa Clause, hat in hand, kneeling by a cradle and showing his love for the baby Jesus.

So when you tell your children about St. Nicolas, be sure you tell them about the real meaning of Christmas first. Tell them about the child who came to teach us, to love us, and to care for us.

Talk to them about caring for each other. In these difficult times, it’s warmed my heart to hear about people paying for other people’s layaway items without asking for recognition. They just wanted to help someone who was having a difficult time. I watch when people drop money in the bucket outside of stores, and as others pull names from a Christmas tree in the store to buy a gift for a child they don’t know. Toys for Tots? Excellent! Food delivered for Christmas dinner? Someone – many someones – helped out again.

Until next time, unpolitically correct Me wishes you a Very Merry Christmas, and please, remember the real reason for the season. He loves you, and so do I.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Need a last minute Christmas gift? Try a book.

About Words and Phrases

This is a repeat of a post I wrote several years ago, but I think it’s still relevant.

Several years ago, before “going postal” became a catch phrase, I was at work and talking to someone who worked in a different department. I was mildly annoyed about something someone had done (I can’t recall what) and said, “Oh, I could just shoot him,” referring to someone whom I don’t even remember. The person I was talking with was horrified, and I was quite surprised. I hadn’t said it with venom, or even any real anger. I had to explain that it was only a figure of speech. He didn’t know what that meant, so I had to explain that to him. By the time I walked away, I could have throttled the man I’d been talking to, figuratively speaking.

As a writer it breaks my heart to hear people trying to clip figures of speech out of the American dialogue. For heaven sake, not everything is meant to be taken seriously. A cliché is a cliché, and a figure of speech is just that – a figure of speech. There’s a time for political correctness; however, I tend to think of that as common courtesy and common sense speech.

If I overheard someone plotting a murder and they said, “I could just shoot him,” that’s one thing. However, if I heard a friend say the same thing about the husband she was frustrated with, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. She would have been venting, letting go of some of her frustration, and that would probably be a good thing. Marital argument averted? Maybe. Hopefully.

I was once at the airport and someone asked me what I do for a living. I almost told her I write murder mysteries, but I caught myself and simply told her I’m a writer. Good grief! I didn’t want the TSA calling me aside because someone overheard me utter the word murder. I also didn’t want to be a diva and look down my nose at her and say, “I’m an author. (sniff)” I’m just a simple writer with simple ways, but I do write darned good mysteries that aren’t simple. I should be able to be proud of what I do and sing out the words, “I write murder mysteries and I think you’d like them,” without looking over my shoulder.

So, okay, as a writer I think people are getting carried away with the hidden meaning of words and phrases. I think the Word Police need to take a step back and think about the context in which these figures of speech are being used. Use some common sense, for crying out loud.

I know we live in trying and scary times, and there’s more violence in the world than there should be. However, lighten up a little. There’s enough drama with what’s really going on today without worrying about catch phrases and clichés. These are tools a writer uses occasionally, and they’re also words that people use every single day, somewhere and in some way. It doesn’t mean that everything they say should be taken literally. If you think you heard something that was a viable threat, then talk to someone. Common sense should tell you if something might be more than a figure of speech.

Now I think it’s time to step down off of my soap box and get back to the mind-boggling idea of taking more comments with a grain of salt. The only killing that goes on in my world is in books, and I’d like to keep it that way. Don’t take offense if one of my characters says something that’s not politically correct. They’re just fictional people, after all.

(For those who might we wondering, this post has nothing to do with any particular current events.)

Until next time, enjoy your week, and I hope you find a moment to just do something silly and stress free.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

In Bogey’s Ace in the Hole – A Bogey Man Mystery, a little old lady overhears a murder plot and reacts differently than most of us would. This is an oldie but a goodie, and an example of discriminating between a figure of speech and a real threat.

It's That Time of Year

Is everyone ready for Christmas? This goes beyond buying presents and sending out cards. Because I’m stubborn and… Well, let’s just say I’m stubborn. When I go to the store, I make a point of telling everyone “Merry Christmas.” You know what? Most people say it back. The heck with the political correctness of saying, “Happy Holidays.”

Anyway, there are other things to get out of the way. This morning I dyed my hair. Yes, I’ll probably be a blonde until the day I die, and my roots won’t show when I celebrate Christmas this year. I was born blonde and I’m staying that way. When I dye my hair, I wrap some of the faded ends with foil. That way my hair isn’t all the same color which would make it look dyed. So I came down stairs with foil sticking out and dye on the rest of my hair. My daughter did a double take, so I told her I was waiting for the Mother Ship. Oh well… Gotta find humor somewhere.

 

We put up some Christmas decorations, but we won’t have a tree this year. The dogs would rip it to shreds. They understand boundaries, but only if it has to do with something they don’t really want anyway. I have a few tattered books (a sin, to be sure) that Murphy has enjoyed gnawing on. Sugar would think anything sparkly is made that way just to get her attention. Our little one, Clementine, is a Chiwienie (half Chihuahua and half Dachshund). She’ll chew up anything she’s tall enough to reach or that she can pull out of the doggie toy box. Yes, we live in our own version of a zoo.

One of these days Clem will become a character in a book. I have a feeling she’ll have a crush on Bubba in the Sandi Webster series, just like the real Clem has a crush on Murphy.

Christmas baking should be coming up soon; however, I’ve found that the older I get, the less I enjoy cooking and baking. Oh, well, the guy next door came over and used his leaf blower on my yard and driveway without being asked. His kids deserve some Christmas treats. I guess we do, too. Hate the work but love the result.

We put some decorations on the front porch, but I haven’t plugged them in over the past couple of days because it was just too cold to go out and unplug them later in the evening. We’ve had snow twice during the last week. Not a lot, but enough to cause the schools to close. I lived in Northern Nevada for about twenty-five years and I’m used to driving in the snow. Unfortunately, nature’s little gift isn’t a common occurrence here, so many people have no idea how to drive in it. This makes for an interesting ride.

When my husband retired, we moved to Arizona. Now I live in Washington state. Moving from Arizona to Washington has turned out to be quite an experience. I’d forgotten what it’s like to live in a state where it rains often, snows occasionally (where I live), and becomes cold.

I mentioned Murphy and his propensity to chew up books earlier. He also loves tissues. I dropped a box of tissues on the floor the other night and he swooped in like an eagle, grabbing the box and running. We had a little tussle over that one before I got the box back. Unfortunately for me, he weighs as much as I do. I won’t divulge the exact figure. Let’s just say he’s over a hundred pounds. This leads me to mention that the decorations we’ve put out are set in high places, where he can’t reach them.

Well, those are Christmas preparations at our house. It’s been interesting.

Do you have any special preparations that are out of the ordinary at your house? Or are there limitations about what you can display?

Leave a comment to win a copy of "Having a Great Crime - Wish You Were Here - A Sandi Webster Mystery." A random name will be picked. Merry Christmas!

Until next time, I hope you find some great sales in the stores and that you finish shopping early so you can sit back and relax. Uh huh, like we’re all going to relax.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Just a reminder: Books make great Christmas gifts.

Focusing on Simpler Times

Since this post will be up all week, I'd like to start by saying Thank You to All Veterans. You're very special people and Thank You just doesn't seem like enough. Thinking of you all!

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When I started writing the Sandi Webster series, I had no intention of putting any type of focus on old movies or anything vintage. It just happened, and I’m not exactly sure how or why. Sandi is in her thirties and doesn’t pay much attention to history until it (figuratively speaking) slaps her in the face. She does have a passion for vintage movies though, because she grew up watching them with her mother. However, vintage is many times an acquired taste, and whether she meant to or not, Sandi seems to have developed that taste.

She enjoys not only older movies, but she’s found she likes older people, too. Although I have to admit that she wasn’t given much choice about senior citizens. For some odd reason they just seem to flock to her, starting with her senior neighbor, Dolly. At one point Sandi asked herself if her lot in life is to spend time with seniors and dogs (because at that point Bubba, the half wolf/half Golden retriever, has made his appearance in the stories).

So, knowing that little bit about Sandi, let me return to the subject of vintage movies. Why would Sandi enjoy those over current films? Because in her mind they represent a slower time, a time of more innocence and romance, and a sense of patriotism and camaraderie. Those certainly aren’t bad things, but there must be more to it than that. Right? I tried to walk in Sandi’s shoes, or more to the point, to see things through her eyes, because Sandi really isn’t based on me. She’s her own fictional person. Okay, maybe she’s a little like me in a few of her interests (like chocolate), but not much.

Sandi is a woman who stands on the high side of naiveté, and she doesn’t always “get” what goes on in today’s world. She had to grow up too fast and join the working world. She never had the opportunity to be a typical teenager. Therefore, she doesn’t follow the crowd, but she does what suits her. She can be humorous, but she tends to take a stand on what’s right and what’s wrong. She’s sometimes opinionated and not politically correct. She expects others to be honest, as she is. She’s frequently frustrated when things don’t go the way she believes they should.

Consequently, vintage movies take her away from real life for a brief span of time. Maybe Sandi was born in the wrong era. She forgets that although things were simpler when these movies were made, they were complicated at the same time. She deals with older men and women who lived through World War II and Viet Nam, the Korean Conflict and other hard times. Murders and other crimes occurred in the time periods she so admires, just as they do today, but somehow it seems different to her.

In the process of doing research, I went through many old newspapers. Some of the crimes were horrendous, but I think Sandi is right in believing that everyday life in the thirties and forties was simpler in a lot of ways. Maybe one day I’ll write a blog about the ways that were more difficult, but not today.

Sandi may live in a dream world to some extent, but even so, her feet are firmly planted in today. She learns and moves on, and she’s a survivor – and fate continues to hand her vintage crimes from time to time.

Do you believe that things used to be simpler? Yes, they were more difficult in some ways, but overall, weren’t they slower and easier in their own way?

Until next time, wishing you a week of reflection about things both past and present.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

If you enjoyed learning a little more about Sandi Webster, you might give this series a try.