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!
Depending on why I need comforting, it could be a cup of lapsang souchong. Or grilled cheese. Or Jane Austen’s Emma. Or DVDs of some cheesy old show like Due South.
Chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate ice cream (or vanilla with lots of chocolate syrup).
My go-to comfort item is anything carbonated. There is just something so soothing about the fizziness for me that I can’t quite understand. Good thing I don’t need to. 🙂
Can’t beat a cat. (Well, you CAN beat a cat, if you’re EVIL.)
Chocolate and books are my comfort items. What a lovely bag you’ve put together for this giveaway. Thanks for your thoughtfulness.
A cup of hot chocolate, a warm blanket and a fantastic book are my go-tos when I need some comfort!
A big mug of tea is my #1 comfort item. A hug from my husband is my #1 comfort feeling.
My comfort item is my Kindle. Even if I’m not feeling into reading, I like to just scroll through aaaaaaaallll the books I keep on there. Sometimes I resort them alphabetically to eliminate duplicates, because I often send the same book to the Kindle twice. I have 700 books on my Kindle. It is sooooooothing.
Not much is working this year – too much awful that is beyond anyone’s control, and a good dose of other random awful.
But our local gelato place has vegan pavlova ice cream, which can cure a multitude of ills. And Lucy Parker, Kerry Greenwood and Anne Gracie are reliable retreads.
And our cat, Mayhem, has no upper limit on how many cuddles she wants, which can be helpful in this situation!
My feather pillows
My go to comfort item is a warm blanket. It’s below freezing in my area lately so I crack out my wool blankets. Pendleton Woolen Mills makes gorgeous, cozy blankets and throws for all seasons and occasions (and several of their designs give back to charity). And for rainbow tartan throws that work all year, Avoca Handweavers are drool worthy. Love the cozy warmth of a good blanket, and wool blankets last forever.
If I am stressed or exhausted – I need sleep which is a great comfort. However, I am very sensitive to noises while trying to fall asleep – so I would say my #1 comfort item is my dohm sound machine. It is a white noise maker (as opposed to electronic versions that are recordings of white noise). When I travel – I take 2 so that I can attempt to drown out all the weird hotel noises (or the weird silence if there is no heater or A/C running).
Right now, my comfort “items” are a sleeping baby and my Kindle. But as he gets wigglier, so may have to trade in the kindle for audiobooks.
My go to comfort item is a comb. Just combing my hair makes me feel better instantly.
As much as I am comforted by chocolate or a good read or a mug of hot water or tea, I find when I boil it down to basics, I can’t do without a good pair of warm, dry socks and Vaseline–I use it on my hands, lips, whatever. And when my hands and lips are doing OK, I can handle a lot more of what life throws my way 😉 Love your picks for this lovely bag o’comfort!
A blanket, a pillow, a dog and a romance novel, preferably set in a different time or different world.
A bath, my Kindle(which I have dropped in the tub a few times so I am on my 4th replacement), a candle and a mug of Bengal spice.
My comfort items are a comfy spot on the couch, blanket and, some coffee. =)
My cat, my Kindle, and the Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle got me through this year.
My ebook reader <3 and chocolate
My go-to comfort item is a mug of cocoa.
Go to comfort item are podcasts. Whenever I’m feeling down or blah, I listen to an episode of “The Guilty Feminist” or “Harry Potter and the Sacred Text,” and both leave me feeling soothed and more able to tackle the world.
my dog 🙂 and chocolate. Thanks for sharing!
Book,candles and classical music playing softly.
My great aunt crocheted a blanket for my family years ago, and it the most comforting thing I have ever felt – warm, soft but not too soft, and made with love. Bonus – my dog loves it too, so I get a two for one deal whenever I curl up under it!
Couch, cats, knitting and red wine (huge thanks to whoever invented stemless wine glasses for making this combo possible)
Scarves!
A fuzzy blanket, hot chocolate and a book always a book.
My gi-to comfort is music, especially the Bach Partitas and Sonatas for unaccompanied violin and the Cello Suites.
heating pad, cat, and rereading a favorite book
My go-to comfort items are Buxom lip gloss, hot tea with honey, fantasy romances, and anything sparkly 🙂
My go to self-care item are romance novels!
Books or an old favorite movie, mashed potatoes and chocolate.
Food: A good apple, soup, or a nice piece of dark chocolate. Also tea.
Items: An absorbing book, and a warm blanket and/or sweater.
just my whole couch. plus pillows. which i fall asleep on. it’s great.
My go-to comfort items are my micro fleece pajamas, my favorite mug with hot chocolate, my favorite heated blanket, my nook, and my dogs to cuddle with
Go to comfort has got to be hot water bottle + fuzzy blanket. Ultimate coziness.
A hot bath, book in hand, regardless of the weather. If the book is really good I may add more hot water. So far I’ve never dropped the book.
Add me to the chocolate lovers group!
My comfort item is my husband’s stuffed bear he’s had since he was young. For some reason, it just makes me feel safe and relaxed. Also my fleece blankets and my cat.