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!
Tea, chocolate, a book, and a blanket! A book can also be replaced with a cheesy rom-com.
My kindle and lavender creme tea from Teavana
This may sound cliche but my comfort items are books. I’m recovering from surgery last Friday and my trusty Kindle and comforter have been everything!
My goto comfort items are my sherpa blanket and the movie Notting Hill…
My go-to comfort is loving on my beautiful dogs!!
Knitting while reading on my kindle. And yes, I can do both at the same time.
Chocolate, a cuppa Earl Grey with a pinch of lavender, and Pride & Prejudice/Bride & Prejudice/LDS Pride & Prejudice on the telly.
Always and forever, a cup of tea. Preferably with a splash of soy milk, but black will do in a pinch. Now in a perfect world, that cup would come with a comfy couch by a window with sunlight streaming through, a good book, and my dog at my feet, but let’s not go too wild here. There’s Christmas shopping to be done, so I’ll just grab the cup of tea and go.
Amongst the items that bring me comfort, I would include my housecoat, slippers and the Harry Potter movies.
Definitely a blanket, a romance novel/movie, and junk food in a comfy spot on the couch.
What a great package! My standard “comfort package” includes crocheting in the recliner watching a soothing PBS show (preferably Nature). Best wishes for a warm and cozy holiday season.
Books, my dogs, and video games are my go-tos, and when it gets really rough, gin.
My go-to comfort item is BOOKS. Whether it’s a physical book, e-book, or audiobook, reading is such a comfort to me. That and fuzzy socks. 🙂
Tea, chocolate, books, cats. Not necessarily in that order.
I find books and chocolate comforting anytime, anywhere, but if I am lucky enough to be at home, I have a down throw blanket that is amazing. It’s soft, just the right size, and the perfect weight for a blanket, not too heavy but just heavy enough to be super cozy. My only complaint about it is that very often the combination of long day + couch + glass of wine + down throw makes me so relaxed that I immediately fall asleep, hence missing out on my prime reading hours, but that is a small price to pay for the awesomeness of that blanket!
Unfortunately, ice cream! Really need to break that habit!
I have to go with my dogs. 🙂
My go-to comfort item is definitely my Kindle. Oh, and chocolate, of course (I am a proud chocoholic). I love that I can take out my Kindle any time I need some comfort, and spend time with an old favorite or have fun getting lost in a new story.
My go-to Comfort item is any book by Nora Roberts! She so often blends mystery and magic – and every single book (yes, including the “…in Death” series) just relaxes me and lets me float away.
My go-to comfort items are my kindle and a really good coffee with lots of flavored creamer enjoyed from within a blanket nest on my couch while Food Network plays softly in the background.
Mine is somewhere cozy with a book. Weirdly, I’m a lot more into stories where the heroine is being rescued when I’m stressed out than usually.
One (or all) of my dogs beside me, and also a hot drink.
When my husband was in the hospital recently, my necessities were a book, a mini reading flashlight, and SOCKS.
When I’m feeling down and I can’t decide on a book, I’ll watch Great British Bake-Off. It’s kind of spoiled me for American reality competition t.v. because everyone just seems to so nice and not catty or scheming.
Thanks for the chance to win! A whole pot of tea and a book are my go-to comfort items.
Nature, animals and a book.
Not an item, precisely, but I draw a lot of comfort from my cat – soft and warm and heavy. If I’m feeling anxious and need to move my body, my drop spindle is a great comfort item/activity, too.
Shortbread or chocolate so I can eat my feelings and either trashy non-thinking books/shows or most loved favs (BBC P&P!)
My comfort scenario would look like this: snuggling cats with a fleece blanket while reading a low-angst romance, eating chocolate sea salt caramels, and drinking tea.
My comfort item is my big body pillow! With a book, of course.
My grey Toronto Maple Leafs hoodie.
My grey Toronto Maple Leafs hoodie.
Nail polish is my comfort – thanks for the rec for another non-chipping kind – I’m always on the lookout.
Pete the Cat and a gin and tonic.
Honestly, these days my go-to comfort item is carbs.
Cuddling with the dog, reading a book & drinking a glass of wine.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Hot chocolate or cappuccino
My favorite hoodie and cozy socks
My body pillow and my Kindle.
My go to comfort item is my pup Dani, who’s always ready and willing to cuddle with me, a blanket my mother knitted and a hot cup of peppermint tea. Bonus if I have time for a little BBC Pride & Prejudice.
I have had Chester the Bear for 40 yrs, he’s my comfort object along with my comfy down vest and my true blue kitty-cat Mr. Ben.
Imagine Adam Sandler singing “Happy Hanukkah” to you all!