Mind Blowing Facts you (probably) didn't know about the Holidays #HappyHolidays #MerryChristmas #RB4U

Did you know that Jingle Bells was originally a song written for the Thanksgiving holiday? 

James Lord Pierpont, an organist from Savannah, Georgia, first performed a song he wrote, "The One Horse Open Sleigh," at his church's Thanksgiving concert. The song was re-published in 1857 and given the title of today.

Bonus fact: It's also the first song broadcast from space. On December 16, 1965, the Gemini 6 crew serenaded Mission Control after they reported seeing a "red-suited" astronaut.



This little-known fact sure surprised me! Did you know that Christmas wasn't always on December 25th? 
Though Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, there is no mention of December 25 in the Bible. (Most historians believe he was actually born in the spring.) It wasn't chosen as the official holiday until the 3rd Century. Some argue that the date was picked because it coincided with the pagan festival of Saturnalia, celebrating agricultural god Saturn with partying and gift-giving.

This one I already knew, but wonder if any of you did as well. :) The marketing geniuses over at Coca-Cola came up with the red suit for Santa Claus in an effort to tie their famous red and white logo with the tradition of Christmas. 
Well, Santa wore a variety of colorful suits through the years — including red, blue, white, and green — but legend has it that the popular image of his red coat came from a 1930s ad by Coca-Cola.

For more mind-blowing facts about Christmas and this wintery holiday season, check out this link:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/18-mind-blowing-facts-about-the-holidays/ss-BBG1TzW?ocid=ems.msn.12102017

Weather

Hi Everyone,

You're probably wondering why in the heck I'm writing about weather.  It is not because we have had lovely weather here this week, or that I'm starting to think about winter.  It is not because everyone talks about the weather either.

I'm writing about weather because it's a useful tool in a book as a setting.  Every novel I've written has a season.  I've used summer most of the time, but I've used fall and winter, too.  You can use weather as a setting or a character.  For instance, the movie, The Perfect Storm, the storm is a major character that is being battled.

There are many stories where the elements are used as a force or character to fight against.  In my novels, I tend to use them as settings.  I think it's very important to let your reader know the season.  If you the writer don't determine the season for your story you can't dress your characters in appropriate attire.

Would you want to dress your heroine in flipflops, capri's and a spaghetti strapped top in the winter?  Oh, I'm sure you can think of some scenario where this could happen, but you have to have an explanation for the character to be dressed like that.  Maybe, she left Florida driving across country and her car broke down.

For all of the aspiring writers out there I want you to know that weather can be used in your stories.  I bet most authors use description of the seasons in one or two of their books. 

Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
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