I Wish You a Merry Christmas

On a Christmas album done by John Denver and the Muppets, there is a song where Kermit sings, “I don’t know if you believe in Christmas, or if you have presents underneath the Christmas tree, but if you believe in love, that will be more than enough for you to come and celebrate with me. (The Christmas Wish, Danny Wheetman)

This is how I feel toward all my friends, both my in-person friends and my “imaginary” internet friends. I don’t care what, if any, religion you pursue, we can all work together to increase the love in the world and make it a better place to live.

This Christmas, my family is enjoying homemade simplicity. Most of our gifts are being concocted in our kitchen. My mom has finally finished our living room murals, and each corner of the room has a tree from a different season. Our winter tree is a pine, because we didn’t want a bare deciduous tree taking a whole corner of the room. We have decorated our pine for Christmas with lights and homemade paper ornaments. And a lot of clear push-pins.

Whatever your religion, wherever you are in the world, and whatever you call your mid-winter (or mid-summer) holiday, carry with you my wishes that you and your family find peace and love in your lives, and that you spread it to others.

~Marie

My Gift to You

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to give my loyal readers a gift this year, and it didn't take much thinking to figure out what to give. From now until midnight pacific time on December 26th, you may follow this link which will take you to Amazon, where A Gigolo for Christmas is free.

What? You don't have a Kindle? Not a problem! Go to Amazon and download a free kindle app for your computer, or they also have apps for phones. The reader app is free, and right now, the book is free. How much better can it get?

I hope you enjoy your gift!

~Marie

Happy Christmas to All!

As a gift to all my readers, I would like to present you with a copy of my newest book, free. Monday December 24th, Tuesday December 25th, and Wednesday December 26th my book A Gigolo for Christmas will be available free to everyone. You can get it at Amazon.

If you don't happen to get a Kindle for Christmas, remember that you can get a free Kindle reading app for your computer, phone, or tablet, and you can still enjoy my book - free.

Much love to everyone, and have a safe and happy Christmas.

~Marie

Santa Has No Claws

Claws are long, sharp finger or toenails on animals. (Between the cheetah’s teeth and claws, the antelope was soon dispatched.)

A clause is part of a sentence, or a part of a contract. (You are in violation of clause b, subpart three, so the contract has been invalidated.)

Claus is Santa’s last name. (Santa Claus)

Keep them straight this way: Claws and Werewolf both have a letter “w”. Santa’s name begins and ends with the letter “s”. When a lawyer invokes a contractual clause, you might want to say, “eek!” Both eek and clause contain the letter “e”.

~Marie

Don't Censor the Sensor

A sensor is a mechanical device that takes in information and relays it to a human being in a different location. The rovers on Mars have a large variety of sensors to measure temperature, humidity, and the composition of rocks and soil. My front porch light has a light sensor on it that turns it on when it gets dark and off when it gets light.

A censor is an individual who decides what may be written, broadcast, and said in public, based on the prejudices of the ruling class of a given society. A censor is also a metal ball used to burn incense in, and waved around, generally in a religious context.

Keep them straight this way: Sensor is related to senses. A remote mechanical sensor takes the place of human senses, to a very limited degree. Both words start with an "s". Censor is either related to incense, or censorship...and all three of those words have the letters “cens” in them.

~Marie

Which Witch is Which?

Which is an interrogative, which is a fancy word for ‘question word’. You use it when you are trying to determine the difference between two alternatives (Which was better, the book or the movie?), or the best among a group of choices (Which is the best route to Apache Junction?)

Witch is a noun, commonly used with a negative connotation. It can mean someone who practices either good or bad magic (The Wicked Witch of the West or Glinda the Good Witch in Oz), someone with a bad attitude (What a witch! A phrase commonly used when we really want to use another word that rhymes, but consider ourselves too genteel to utter in polite company). People often dress up as wicked witches for Halloween.  The word almost always refers to a female, as a male practitioner of magic is usually referred to as a mage, a wizard, or a magician. The word is also often used to describe an adherent of Wicca.

Keep them straight this way: Witch has a t in the middle of it, just like that other word we don’t like to use. Both witch and the other word always refer to a person. Which has an h in it, just like other question words such as Who, What, Where, and When.

~Marie