[SPOILERS BG] Christmas Eve changed. I got you, Jim Butcher!!!

[Regenbogen]

Remember our discussions of the sample chapters of Peace Talks? The chapter in which McCoy tells Harry about the Council vote. We sort of thought, Harry would still be on the Council after Battle Ground.
Because the title "wizard of the White Council" is mentioned in the short story "Christmas Eve".

So, I read the short story as it is " printed" in my e-book. It is when Harry tries to assemble the bike and says to himself that it should not be a problem to [tadaaaaaa!!!!!!] "the Wizard of Chicago".
This confused me, so I compared with the older text, the illustrated one from the website. And in that version he indeed called himself "a wizard of the White Council".

I see you, Butcher!

Do you think, Mr. Butcher hadn't decided yet in 2018, if Harry will be thrown out?
Or did he write "White Council" deliberately to not spoiler us readers?
Edit: or to mislead us?

[Mira]

He either changed his mind, or he didn't want to totally spoil us..   I haven't reread Christmas Eve at the back of Battle Ground yet, but when I read that he had been kicked out of the Council, that got my attention too.  What I thought was either at some point before Christmas he got reinstated, or even if he no longer is a member of the White Council, he still sees himself that way.

Also did you catch in Battle Ground just after he is kicked out and Michael finds out and swears loudly enough to make a sailor blush, he tells Harry that Charity has invited him and little Maggie
over for Christmas Eve because she knows it will be painful for him without Murphy.

But face it, except for that little spoiler that he changed, most of us figured out from the tone of
it that Murphy had been killed in the battle.

[Con]

Honestly I thought Eb was dead since the first few chapters of Peace Talks. Maggie says.

"Will Grandpa come for Christmas?"

[Mira]

Honestly I thought Eb was dead since the first few chapters of Peace Talks. Maggie says.

"Will Grandpa come for Christmas?"

Apparently Jim changed his mind on that one.. Or it might be natural for a ten year old, when meeting her great grand pa for the first time might ask that very question.

[ElJefe81]

It was obviously meant as a wink and a nod to the Christmas Eve story, but it seemed kind of odd to me that at Mid-Summer, Michael was already telling Harry he was invited for Christmas.  It would have been more cohesive with something like "our home is always open to you".  Anyone else feel like that seemed a bit weird?

[Arjan]

It was obviously meant as a wink and a nod to the Christmas Eve story, but it seemed kind of odd to me that at Mid-Summer, Michael was already telling Harry he was invited for Christmas.  It would have been more cohesive with something like "our home is always open to you".  Anyone else feel like that seemed a bit weird?

For some people it is a big thing. For others it is something they dread and try to avoid. Aparently Christmass is a big thing for the carpenters.

[morriswalters]

Do you think, Mr. Butcher hadn't decided yet in 2018, if Harry will be thrown out?
Or did he write "White Council" deliberately to not spoiler us readers?
Edit: or to mislead us?

The book supposedly was finished before he wrote the Christmas Story. So what do you think? The release date was announced December 16, 2019, and Christmas Eve came out December 25, 2019.

[Mr. Death]

I don't think he decided as he was writing it that Harry would be kicked out. That's the kind of major story thing I figure he'd have had in mind early on. So, yeah, my money is on him just changing the text to avoid the spoiler.

[Telynn]

Honestly I thought Eb was dead since the first few chapters of Peace Talks. Maggie says.

"Will Grandpa come for Christmas?"

That short story made me really think that Murphy wasn't going to survive.  I mean Christmas Eve and she isn't around, or he doesn't have a stray thought about how they were going to see each other the next day?  I kinda thought like you Eb was going to die too, but them being separated due to politics works as well I guess.

So I was SOMEWHAT prepared for what happened to her, but.... no.  Not really.  It still hurt like hell.

[Psyklone]

That short story made me really think that Murphy wasn't going to survive.  I mean Christmas Eve and she isn't around, or he doesn't have a stray thought about how they were going to see each other the next day?  I kinda thought like you Eb was going to die too, but them being separated due to politics works as well I guess.

So I was SOMEWHAT prepared for what happened to her, but.... no.  Not really.  It still hurt like hell.

Lucky for you guys then,  I haven't read any of the short stories for a while now, so Murphy hit me cold.  I had suspected beforehand, but I didn't have any hard foreshadowing.

[Telynn]

Lucky for you guys then,  I haven't read any of the short stories for a while now, so Murphy hit me cold.  I had suspected beforehand, but I didn't have any hard foreshadowing.

I'm about ready to call Harry "Little Joe" and be done with it.  (Am I aging myself with that reference?)

[Mira]

Lucky for you guys then,  I haven't read any of the short stories for a while now, so Murphy hit me cold.  I had suspected beforehand, but I didn't have any hard foreshadowing.

Oh, if Christmas Eve didn't do it, and it didn't for several of her fans, there is a long, long thread somewhere where I debated that Christmas Eve did everything but shout it out that Murphy was dead.
Also in Peace Talks and the beginning of Battle Ground, from Harry said, he knew she wasn't in any shape to fight, but that was who she was and he couldn't change her.  He also added that she'd probably die doing it. 

[Dina]

The book supposedly was finished before he wrote the Christmas Story. So what do you think? The release date was announced December 16, 2019, and Christmas Eve came out December 25, 2019.

2018.

Yes, for a moment I've felt cheated but it's all right, JB was trying to not spoil more than he has already done. Think how different would the book read for someone who had not read CS. Perhaps Listen truly killed Maggie! Perhaps Mab could fall that night! Or Odin.
By the way, I realized the scene in Ethniu's mind was not real instantly due to Mouse not being here, but I understand Harry was too emotionally invested to realize it so soon (also exhausted).