Earlier this year, I did a podcast with Sarah where I described making myself a self-care bag to help me get through my mom’s two surgeries and subsequent in-home care.
I put things in my bag that were designed to give me comfort and help me break away mentally from the stress going on around me.
The holidays are stressful for a lot of people, for a myriad of reasons, so I decided to assemble a Little Bag of Comfort for our Hanukkah giveaway with some of the things that bring me peace and comfort.
This giveaway includes a small pink tote bag that says Little Bag of Comfort. Inside you’ll find books! Shocking, I know. We’ve included Roomies by Christina Lauren, A Daring Arrangement by Joanna Shupe, Wrong to Need You by Alisha Rai, and A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase.
Chocolate contains antioxidants, which means it’s a comfort food and healthy, right? Included are two bars of chocolate: Lindt 70% cocoa dark chocolate and Lindt’s classic recipe milk chocolate.
Tea is my go-to drink of choice when I need to relax so we’re also including one ounce of my favorite caffeine-free herbal tea, Cinnamon Plum by Fava Tea (not pictured) is a mellow, fruity tea with lots of cinnamon aroma. It’s excellent plain or with some honey. (Sarah adds, “I have a bag of this tea, too, and completely agree – it is wonderful.”)
We’re also including some beauty items to pamper yourself with. These year I discovered INLP nail polish and I love it so much. The colors are vivid and it resists chipping better than any other polish I’ve tried. You’ll get a bottle of INLP polish in Charmingly Purple, which is a sparkly lavender color.
You’ll also get two tubes of Stila All Day Matte Liquid Lipstick in the colors Sogno and Baci. I really like Stila’s Liquid Lipstick because it doesn’t feel sticky or dry on my lips. There’s also a small tube of Crabtree & Evelyn’s hand crème in the scent La Source.
Topping everything off is a Bad Decisions Book Club Sticker and a Smart Bitches magnet.
Ready to enter? Excellent! Leave a comment and tell us your go-to comfort item.
Standard disclaimers apply: I am not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents were permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and ready to be extremely pampered and comforted. Cats recommended but not included. Dewey agrees with everything Elyse says, though he pretends otherwise. Comments will close Friday 15 December at or near 12pm ET, and winner will be announced shortly afterward.
Good luck, Happy Hanukkah, and thank you for being part of Smart Bitches!
WINNER UPDATE: Our winner for night four of our Hanukkah-palooza is Lostshadows! Check your inbox and spam folders shortly!
This may sound weird- but my go-to comfort items are my cats, a fleece blanket and a comfy spot. And tbh, the last two are negotiable as long as I have my cats, because eventually the cat magic kicks in and then I’ll feel better.
My go to comfort item is the nearest comforter. I wrap myself up and enjoy a good snuggle (even in summer). I have about a dozen scattered throughout the house.
Yarn or fiber (probably with a book nearby).
Tea, my cats, and a good book. Or if I’m murderously stressed, I watch Repo! The Genetic Opera while petting my cat.
Books and yarn
For this time of year I’d say slippers and my old fuzzy cardigan. Tea – always. Earl Grey mostly. And of course a snuggle with our dog, who actually mostly just wants treats and sometimes needs to be bribed.
My dogs, a cup of tea and a book.
My #1 go-to: books! Sometimes it’s music or podcasts or my cats, but books are consistently comforting.
Carbs 🙂 plus reading a happy non angst book, with a warm cat on my lap.
But mostly carbs really.
A hot bath, a book and a glass of iced water
My comfort food is lasagna and non-food item is a fun book!
Hot tea, a blanket, and either a book or knitting.
My cat is my best and healthiest go to comfort. I tend to comfort eat, but I try to keep that in check – meaning only in small doses. Also a hug from my husband is very comforting.
A nice, heavy blanket and my bed. I have an old blue thermal blanket that is just right when I need a blanket with some weight to it. Add a cat and a book and I am set!
A nice, meaty sex and shopping style book (imaginary retail therapy) or needlework.
Are we talking items, or foods?
Food-wise, there’s nothing like alphabet instant soup.
Object wise, there’s nothing like my blankie. I’ve no shame to admit this in anonymity :), but at 37 I still have my baby blanket, which I hold to bed every day.
Wine and a trip to a stationery shop.
Cliche, but chocolate
A good book, a warm fleece throw, and my German shepherds curled up on the floor next to me.
Books. Old favorite comfort reads I can dive into. (But even more: reading them in bed.)
#1 is definitely the cat. I call him my therapy cat and wish I could take him everywhere with me. He’s wrapped around my head as I type this, sending good vibes. Or, trying to steal the pillow. That’s the mystery of cats. =^.^=
#2 is, predictably, books. Particularly my comfort books that I’ll reread over and over. I think I’ve reread one series about 5 times just in the past 6 months alone!
#3 is the sofa (with fuzzy blanket). I think I’ve become incapable of reading unless I’m lying down.
#4 is tea.
Darnit, now I want to call in sick to work and spend the day with #1-4!
Books books and more books!
Its a tie between cinnamon stick tea and my oversized down comforter.
My beautiful, sweet, devoted chocolate Labrador, Ranger. If you ask me, he was named after the Janet Evanovich character. If you ask my husband, he was named after the baseball team.
Hot chocolate and books. Sometimes I rewatch television shows I love for comfort. Right now I’m rewatching Gilmore Girls to get me through the end of the year.
My go-to comfort items: chai tea and a good book. Alternative comfort: a lazy Sunday afternoon working on a never-ending cross stitch project while The Great British Bake Off plays in the background. I love that show!!
My llama cozy socks!
My top comfort item is, unfortunately, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. I am trying to lose weight, so I am trying to replace it with a nice Bosc pear instead, but it doesn’t always work.
Comfort drink: tea with lemon, rum & sugar 🙂
Comfort thing: books!
Lucas’ Papaw Ointment http://lucaspapaw.com.au/ . Made here in Brisbane it uses fermented pawpaw (papaya for our overseas mates) fruit. I use it to keep my lips soft in winter, for small cuts and rashes and it is excellent for nappy rash.
My knitting. Having busy hands helps keep me from going bananas.
My cats. If I can’t have them, tea. I like Harney’s Paris tea.
My comfort items are a soft blanket, a book and the cats.
Amy’s frozen gluten-free, dairy-free macaroni and cheese. It’s the only fake cheese product I like, but I have to say that if I’d been asked ahead of time to pick just one fake cheese food, I would totally have asked for Mac and cheese that didn’t hurt my gut or leave me bloated, and also didn’t result in dishes (assuming I use a plastic fork).
Books, obviously, also cats, if possible with tea and some (candied) ginger. Warms me right up.
Amy’s frozen gluten-free, dairy-free macaroni and cheese. It’s the only fake cheese product I like, but I have to say that if I’d been asked ahead of time to pick just one comfort food that won’t hurty tummy or have
My kindle – must be able to read anywhere – and stretchy black pants. I can’t call them yoga pants as I’ve never done yoga, not even once. Maybe calling them my “eating and travel pants” would be more appropriate.
It’s either knitting and cats or reading and cats. Or napping with cats.
Definitely involves cats.
My apologies for the Double post 🙁
My go-to comfort items are books and chocolate.