Advent Calendar 13th December.
This
holiday advice column is brought to you by Monica Jackson, the heroine in Eliza
Watson’s romantic comedy, Under Her Spell. Monica is a fun, quirky, and creative
character with an often unique outlook on life.
Deck the Halls with Stress Balls:
How to Bring Inner Peace and Joy to Your Holidays
When you punch out an
innocent snowman on the way home from work, it’s time to get a grip, especially
if you have a history of panic attacks. I suffered my first attack several
months ago when Reed, a divorce lawyer, opened his practice next door to my new
romantic event planning company, Enhance Your Romance. Reed eventually ended up
being good for my stress and panic attacks. Then today, my soon-to-be divorced
cousin and roomie Hope informed me that she’s spending Christmas on a two-week
cruise. Who was going to play domestic elf--baking cookies, decorating, making
Christmas dinner, etc.? Surprisingly, the holidays are a busier time for my
company than Valentine’s Day. Everyone who has been naughty all year wants to
play nice (or maybe a bit naughty) and romance their significant other. Unlike
Hope, I don’t want to avoid the holidays. I love the holidays. So here are a
few stress reducers I’ve come up with.
1) Tis the season for giving. Nothing makes you feel better than bringing joy to
someone else. After Hope caught her husband Kyle cheating, she donated their
Egyptian cotton sheets and his Rolex to charity. Her good deeds made her feel
like a new woman. The division of their assets was holding up the divorce
thanks to scrooge Kyle. So to expedite things, she placed an ad in the
newspaper announcing free Thanksgiving dinner at their steakhouse, and that
Kyle’s snowmobile would be auctioned off, the proceeds going to Toys for Tots.
Kyle is all about appearances, so when patrons praised him for his generosity
he took full credit. Hope had the signed divorce papers the next day. So it
doesn’t even have to be your own stuff you give away.
2) Make love, not cookies. I once spent an
hour, and a half a bag of flour, trying to roll out gingerbread cookie dough.
Using a juice glass for a rolling pin probably didn’t help. That was my last
cookie experience. To help reduce stress, I’m eliminating anything I don’t
enjoy, and increasing what I do find pleasurable. I sometimes get so caught up
in my clients’ love lives, I don’t put enough time into my own special events. So I have a special
evening planned, which includes something very Reed, I mean red, and very
naughty.
3) Power tool therapy. If you’re partaking in alcoholic holiday beverages,
stick with a hammer. A few years ago I caught my boyfriend with another girl
under the mistletoe hanging over his bed. After grabbing our presents from
under his tree, I headed home where my dad was in the garage building a manger
for the church. (Yes, I lived with my parents which added to my holiday
stress.) He owns a construction business so everyone always asks him to donate
his services during the holidays. He was behind schedule and recruited my
assistance. Pounding nails while envisioning driving a stake through my ex’s
heart was more Zen than a spa day.
4) Breathe into a holiday gift bag. When I suffered my first panic attack, my assistant
and best friend Jordan had me breathe into a paper bag. I don’t recommend
sucking in the aroma of an Egg McMuffin if part of your stress is due to
holiday overeating. Sprinkle the inside of a gift bag with essential oils such
as lavender or eucalyptus then inhale some deep, calming breaths.
5) Don’t act your age. Watch Rudolph and Frosty. Read some of your favorite
childhood holiday books. Do things that take you back to your youth when
Christmas wasn’t stressful. Tear open presents like it’s your first Christmas.
After I swiped the presents from my cheating boyfriend’s house, I went home and
ripped through them in no time flat. It felt great. I donated the items to
charity, like step one recommends.
6) Belief, trust, and a little bit of reindeer dust. Cast a holiday inner peace spell. Stay away from negative
spells, such as the Dirtbag Spell I cast on Hope’s ex. Keep things positive.
Red is the color of energy and enthusiasm, and green represents healing and
balance. The perfect holiday spell colors. Use ingredients such as a red silk
bag filled with cloves, cinnamon, and items that symbolize joy, harmony, and
good cheer. Belief is the core ingredient of a successful spell, and also a
happy holiday season.
***
Once again if you enjoyed this holiday column, pick up this story and others by Eliza Watson at the links below:
Book Blurb
When a series of failed
relationships and business ventures have Monica Jackson doubting her
self-worth, she turns to spell casting to attract positive energy and the
opportunities needed to achieve her goals.
But can Monica’s belief in spells restore her belief in herself?
Monica creates a spell to find
her soul mate, and one to ensure the success of her new romantic event planning
company, Enhance Your Romance. Monica is confident she has found her niche
until divorce lawyer Reed Walker opens a practice next door to her office. The anti-marriage slogan plastered on his
office window, and his down-on-love clients, quickly prove detrimental to
Monica’s business. When his arrival
appears to trigger a string of bad luck, Monica fears one of her spells sent
negative energy into the universe and it has returned to her threefold. Although Reed is beyond sexy, and she admires
his self-confidence, she’ll do whatever it takes to get the universe back on
her side, and Reed out of her life. No way is she losing another business.
Reed finds himself attracted to
Monica’s beauty and her optimism. His job and his parents’ divorce have made
him a pessimist, especially when it comes to love. However, he soon finds that
Monica’s pro-love attitude is rubbing off on him, causing him to lose his
edge. If Reed doesn’t distance himself
from Monica, he’ll likely destroy his reputation as a pit bull divorce lawyer.
Can Monica and Reed look past
what they might be losing to realize
the love they have found?
Happy Reading!
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