Let's Talk with Terry Ambrose

Happy Holidays to all of our friends, fans, and writing communities!

Our authors are here to share their self-care tips that help them make it through the busy holidays. When your schedule gets overloaded, remember to take time for yourself. It will get better. Plus, what fun it is to de-stress with us!

Maggie Toussaint: My self-care tip for the holidays is to chill out with a good book. I need to completely zone out on real life and feel as if I’m an armchair adventurer. Whenever I start feeling overwhelmed or out of time, taking time away from those feelings truly recharges me and when I circle back around to what needs to be done, it doesn’t feel so onerous. And we all want to be happy for the holidays!

 Nancy J Cohen: Gift shopping for the holidays can become a frenzied activity, so I try to work on this project year-round. If I see something I like for someone on my list, I’ll buy it then. As Thanksgiving approaches, I’m aware of Black Friday specials and will go online to order any gifts for people still needed. It’s best to get this done before holiday dinners and other festivities steal our free time. Once past Thanksgiving, the gift wrapping and labeling can begin. I’ll address a few greeting cards every day to get them done in time. Doing as much in advance as possible is the key to staying calm and organized.

 Cheryl Hollon: My husband and I take a week-long Caribbean cruise every year at the beginning of December. It’s just before the frenzy of the Holiday Season begins. It’s a quiet week for the cruise industry, so the price is a bargain. We depart from either Miami or Ft. Lauderdale and usually visit the eastern ports. A bonus is that we usually pick up the last few Christmas presents, so we’re set for a relaxing holiday season.  

Debra H Goldstein: The survival of my family during the holidays revolves around accepting as many meal invitations as we can. When it comes to food and celebrations, I have my husband and children trained that if someone other than me is cooking, we will willingly celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanzaa. The reality is that I’m a lousy disinterested cook, but a gracious guest. Admittedly, I can’t always get out of being in the kitchen, but if you come to my house for a holiday meal, remember: You Eat At Your Own Risk. 

 Lois Winston: For me, surviving the holidays has changed over the years. Christmas has become more intimate, due to family and friends being scattered across the country and some who are no longer with us. Gift lists have shrunk. Cookie baking no longer begins on Thanksgiving weekend. Dozens of varieties no longer fill the freezer. The season has become much calmer, but personally, I miss the frenzy and frenetic excitement of past Christmas seasons. However, when I did find the need to de-stress in the past, listening to holiday music always mellowed me.

Diane A.S. Stuckart: When I’m feeling my Grinchiest during the holidays, the one thing that brings me back to a state of Christmas cheer is listening to carols. I’m not talking about the “Winter Wonderland” variety of music (though I’m not above belting out “All I Want For Christmas Is You” when that song plays on the car radio). No, I like the old Christmas hymns…the ones sung by choirs and accompanied by lots of brass and strings. In fact, the more doleful and dramatic, the better. My current favorite is “In the Bleak Midwinter”, which I only first heard a couple of years ago but immediately fell in love with. If you’re not familiar with this carol, here is a lovely version sung by Susan Boyle which totally captures the spirit of the song and the season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79iv-8_by9A

Terry Ambrose: After a back injury in 2019, I went to a yoga class hoping it might improve my lower back pain. By the end of the class, I thought I was going to die. I’d been twisted into positions I didn’t think possible…but my back pain was gone the next morning. I’ve been practicing yoga ever since. In the summer, we start our yoga sessions very first thing. Now that winter is here, we’ve shifted to mid morning, but it still helps to focus my energy so the days remain productive.

 Feel free to join in and share a tip for making the holidays less stressful! We’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for being part of our community. We love connecting with you!

Wishing you all the best, Terry, Cheryl, Debra, Diane, Lois, Nancy, and Maggie