Table Of Contents Section One...........3 What is Guest Blogging? ................3 The Benefits of Guest Blogging .......4 How to Find Blogs to Post On .........5 Your Next Steps ...........................7 How to Properly Contact the Blog Owner ..........9 Your Offer ..................................12 Type of Blogs to Target ................14 Section Two.............15 Benefits of Having Guest Bloggers .15 How to find Guest Bloggers ..........16 What You Should Offer Guest Bloggers ..................17 Setting Up Guidelines for Guest Bloggers ...............18 Best Practices for Guest Bloggers...............21 Best Practices for Host of Guest Bloggers.............23 Conclusion................24 Resources: ..............25 Sample Content Preview Section One What is Guest Blogging? The simple answer to this question is quite easy. Guest Blogging is when you get approval from the owner of a blog to have your article published. Depending upon how much traffic this particular site gets your visitor volume can increase dramatically. The harder part is actually getting your idea for a blog post accepted! Now before you run off and start creating blog posts there are some key points to take into consideration here. I like to refer to this as blog etiquette! You don’t want to confuse guest blogging with leaving blog comments. These are two totally separate identities. Anyone can leave a blog comment on a post or article. With a guest post you are being given the limelight or if you like the chance to create your own solo ad! Take advantage of this and your business has the potential to explode overnight!

Salespage Snapshot: >>> Click Here To View Full Sales Page... Table Of Contents Be remarkable ...................... 4 Forget the advertising—innovate .................................... 4 Information products—the key to the success of your Internet marketing business ....... 5 The best time to build your database is now ................... 6 How to create lead-generating information products ..... 6 Information products plus permission marketing equals rapid-fire lead generation..... 7 The unlimited power of viral marketing .......................... 8 Sure-fire tactics for creating your own information product ......... 9 26 Superpower Tactics for Rapid-Fire List Building ....... 10 Be sure you have a squeeze page .................................. 10 Offer a free e-consultation on your squeeze page ........ 11 Cross-promote through joint venture e-mail campaigns .............. 11 Co-registration ........................................ 12 How to get the most out of eZines ................................ 12 Add your information product to a giveaway site ......... 12 Be sure you use an exit pop-up ...................................... 13 When to use an index page ........................................... 13 Writing articles .............................................................. 13 Harness the power of viral list-builder software ........... 13 Writing an eBook .......................................................... 14 Press releases and news stories .............. 15 Surveys and polls ........................... 15 Promote affiliate items .................. 15 Hold a contest ...................................... 15 Free online courses ................................. 15 Free software ............................................. 16 Forums ....................................... 16 Ads and sponsorships ............................. 16 Podcasts ............................ 17 Free audio or video downloads .............. 17 Webinars ................................................ 17 Blogs ....................................................... 17 Become a Giveaway Guru affiliate .......... 18 eBay ........................................................ 18 You’ll only hit what you aim at ............... 19 Our most important and most urgent tasks ............... 19 Living proof of what’s possible ............... 21 Relationships and rapport generate revenue ........... 22 Master the art of relationship management .......... 23 Sample Content Preview Be remarkable Master marketer and best-selling author Seth Godin says that companies that resist innovation are like brown cows—after a while, they all look the same. If you’ve seen one brown cow, you’ve seen every brown cow there is to see. You don’t notice them even when they’re standing on the side of the highway. They might as well be invisible. But when a purple cow comes on the scene, it stands out at once. You can’t take a brown cow and paint it purple, Godin explains. Purple cows are purple from the inside out—or they might be blue from the inside out, as in the case of JetBlue Airlines, a company that meets Godin’s criteria for excellence. What is Seth Godin trying to teach us about marketing this time? If I’ve learned anything from Godin since his 1999 Permission Marketing, it is that he doesn’t waste his readers’ valuable time. So I’ve learned to listen to what he has to say. What does he have to say in Purple Cow? It all comes down to two words: Be remarkable. I hope you’re listening, too. “You’re either a Purple Cow or you’re not,” says Godin. “You’re either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice.” I think you have made the right choice; otherwise, you wouldn’t be taking the time to read this. You’ve taken the first step toward becoming remarkable. This report will show you how to separate yourself from the millions of invisible brown cows on the Information highway. When you finish this report, you won’t be a brown cow any more. You may discover that you’re not a purple cow either. You might be a blue cow, a red cow, or even a pink cow. But one thing is certain: You’ll know what it takes to build the kind of list that can skyrocket your Internet business. You’ll know what it takes to be remarkable. Forget the advertising—innovate It would be easy to notice a purple cow if we suddenly encountered one, of course. But how do you spot purple cows in the business world? To be a purple cow in the business world, Godin explains, “Stop advertising and start innovating.” Consumers are immune to most of the advertising that reaches them, but they are hungrier than ever for real solutions to real problems. The secret of successful Internet marketing is to create and drive word of mouth.

Salespage Snapshot: >>> Click Here To View Full Sales Page... Sample Content Preview Introduction Any Internet marketer knows traffic is the lifeblood of all online business ventures. Just because you build it, doesn’t mean they will come. Building traffic alerts people, and the search engines that a website is on the Internet. Without traffic, there are no buyers. Without buyers, there is no income, and without income, there is no business. Even if you’re not directly selling a product, solely making money on ad clicks, without people there to click the ads, you’re not going to earn any income. This eBook will walk you through the basics of traffic methods you can use, both free and paid, to drive traffic to your website. None of these methods are guaranteed to bring you millions, and none of these methods will present overnight success. No matter how you cut it, Internet marketing takes hard work, and will not bring you instant riches. In this book, I’ll discuss various free and paid methods of building traffic and their advantages, as well as a bit of information about how you can use each of these to expand your business. We’ll also cover how to make sure you’re getting the most from your paid campaigns, to ensure you’re getting a good return on investment (ROI.) Free vs. Paid Traffic You don’t have to pay to advertise your website and bring traffic to it. In fact, there are a number of methods, namely social media related, that enable you to drive traffic to your website for free. However, free of monetary investment doesn’t truly mean free. Something many Internet marketers forget is that time also equals money. If you’re starting out on a small budget, you’re going to have to invest more time to get your business off the ground, but at some point, the time you spend becomes just as valuable, if not more so than the actual money you’re “saving” by using free traffic methods. You’ll have to decide what the trade off is for you, and whether or not you can really afford to invest money into advertising.

Salespage Snapshot: >>> Click Here To View Full Sales Page... Table Of Contents Introduction: Overview-what is a ghostwriter Part 1: Starting your business 1. Finding your niche 2. Honing your skills 3. Organizing your time 4. Making a business plan 5. Five Ways to Find Time to Relax as a Ghostwriter Part 2 Marketing 6. 7 ways to market-online 7. 5 tips for website promotion 8. How to Add Value to Your Work as a Ghostwriter 9. Promoting yourself 10. Analyzing your most wanted customers 11. Finding your customers Part 3 Expanding your business 12. Retaining customers 13. Expanding services 14. Outsourcing-how to find good providers 15. Pitfalls to avoid 16. Easy Ways For Making Money as a Ghost Writer 17. 7 Tactics To Become a Better Writer 18. 7 Steps To Help You Write a Better Article 19. Insider Secrets to Speed Writing Sample Content Preview Introduction: Overview-what is a ghostwriter He knows how to write – wonderfully and creatively. He does the research, the cleaning up or everything from the research to the writing to the polishing. He does the work but he does not get credit for the quality of the work he provides. Sometimes, he might get an occasional thank you, an acknowledgement from the ‘author’ whose name appears on the article’s byline or on the book cover – but most of the time, the reading public never even knows his name. He is read but not read of. He is the ghostwriter. The Ghostwriter’s Job Description The name itself says it all. He is a writer who has noteworthy talent but who remains virtually unrecognized and unacknowledged – just as a ghost is supposedly felt but not seen. A ghostwriter is someone who does either one of two things. On the one hand, he can be one who collects and assimilates information. From such information, he’ll write a story, a blog post, a press release, an article, a book, or whatever copyrighted and published (electronic or otherwise) content. On the other hand, he can be one who is tasked with transforming a raw manuscript from gibberish (or nearly gibberish) to a brilliant piece of work worthy of publication. In this case, the actual author under whose name the work will appear has the information required or has the bare bones of the book or article but further editing and polishing is required to make the piece become less mediocre, more technically accurate, more readable, or a combination of these and other objectives. A ghostwriter is tasked with writing many different things. These tasks vary according to the ghostwriter’s specialty, skills, competencies, and clients. Usually though, the services of a ghostwriter is utilized frequently for hardbound and paperback books. These books can be fiction or non-fiction and can be about a wide range of topics. On the other hand, because of the internet’s popularity and the slant towards internet advertising and marketing, a ghostwriter may also be asked to ghostwrite press releases, news articles, informational copy, e-books, and blog entries. In some cases, a ghostwriter is even asked to write under various pseudonyms to promote a business, a product or a service online. There are also ghostwriters for academic essays and publications. In such cases, the ghostwriter makes an essay, a research paper, a journal article, a thesis, or a dissertation for a student or an academician willing to pay for the service.ormation. Credibility is one of the most important things for running your own business, especially in the online world.

Salespage Snapshot: >>> Click Here To View Full Sales Page... Table Of Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction Money Making Online …………………………………………………………. 5 Why Use List Building? …………………………………………………………. 5 List Building and SEO …………………………………………………………. 6 List Building – Defined …………………………………………………………. 6 Chapter 2 – Getting Started List Building Mindset …………………………………………………………. 9 Set Goal Plans …………………………………………………………..9 Select a Target Niche …………………………………………………………10 Chapter 3 – Creating Your Products Product Creation in List Building ………………………………………………….12 Create Free Giveaway Products ………………………………………………….12 Benefits of Free Giveaway Products…….………………………………………….12 Create Low Priced Products ………………………………………………… 13 Low Priced Affiliations ………………………………………………… 13 Chapter 4 – Promoting Your Products Learn from Pros ……………………………………………………….... 16 Set Up Your First Campaign…………………..………………………………...…. 16 Generate a Quality List ………………………………………………………….17 Chapter 5 – List Building Traffic Set Up Your Squeeze Page………………………………………………………….. 19 Forum Marketing …………………………………………………………. 20 Ad Swaps …………………………………………………………. 21 Solo Ads …………………………………………………………. 21 YouTube Explosion …………………………………………………………. 22 Guest Blogging …………………………………………………………. 22 Ad Words PPC …………………………………………………………. 23 Facebook …………………………………………………………. 23 Build Your List Now …………………………………………………………. 23 Sample Content Preview Introduction Money Making Online With all the depressed news about the economy, today is the time for one to find a greener pasture when it comes to money making. Somehow, it pays to earn extra income for the payment of tuition fees, house bills, car loans and more. E- Stores, affiliate marketing, blogging, and reselling products- these are some of the online businesses that people engaged into. Indeed, the online community has boomed in providing business opportunities for people across the globe. With little time and effort, many are able to make money online. Initial costs are inexpensive as well. However, some succeed while some failed. Having this reality, there could be a problem why some people do not make sufficient money online. How about you? Do you earn adequate income from your online business? Or are you planning to try money making online? This is good news for you! You can generate massive profits online like a pro. And you can do it the easiest way around. Why Use List Building? Perhaps you ask, why list building? Try asking yourself, why not? Let’s illustrate it in this scenario: You are selling products online. You have a list of 50,000 subscribers that are potential buyers of your products. With this

Salespage Snapshot: >>> Click Here To View Full Sales Page... Table Of Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction Leads – The Lifeblood of Every Business ……………………………………………5 Death of SEO …………………………………………………………………….5 The Reign of Panda …………………………………………………………………….6 The Latest Trend – Google +…………………………………………………..……….6 Chapter 2 – Getting Started with Google+ Install Google Chrome …………………………………………………………….9 Set Up Your Google Account …………………………………………………...10 Define Your Market ...……….………………………………………………………...10 Chapter 3 –Creating Your Profile Set Up Your Google Profile …………………………………………………...13 Choose Your Pen Name …………………………………………………………...13 Add Your Profile Photo ………………………………….…...…………………...13 Create Your “About” Page …………………………………………………...14 Chapter 4 - Google+ Pages The Sleeping Giant ………………………………………………………...………...18 Business Pages ……...………………………………………………...………....18 How to Create Your Google+ Business Page ………………………...………...19 How to Edit Your Business Page ………………………………………...………...20 Chapter 5 – Building Targeted Lists How to Find Clients ...…………………………………………….…………………...22 Call to Action ………………………………………………....………………...22 Setup Your Circles ….……………………………………………...………………...23 How to Make People Connect To You ……..………………….………………...24 Sample Content Preview Introduction Leads – The Lifeblood of Every Business Businesses are everywhere. They are plenty in both offline and online communities. Nowadays, online commerce has boomed. In fact, many people have already engaged in online business opportunities. Perhaps you can observe that there is an essential reality that revolves around the online-driven business avenue. This certainty is that there is one thing that primarily keeps the world of online selling go round – the leads. As much as online marketers want to make their products viable and profitable, they also give importance to the value of people who should be interested in their products. There is no doubt; leads are the lifeblood of online businesses. They are the main recipients of the products, the patronisers, the critics and definitely, the buyers. In as much as the online community progressed, so as the marketing tools. There are already several tools that are used by online marketers to promote and sell their products. These include forum marketing, social networking sites, affiliate marketing and many more. If you are an online entrepreneur or wanting to become one, you must be aware that getting the attention of your potential leads and transforming them into loyal consumers of your products are your priorities. Attract their attention and amaze their impression. More than anything else, your product efforts are directed towards their satisfaction. With this, you must have

Salespage Snapshot: >>> Click Here To View Full Sales Page... Table Of Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction Importance of Traffic ……………….……………………………………………5 Big Money for Traffic .…………………………………………………………….5 Instant Traffic Method .…………………………………………………………….5 Chapter 2 – Forum Posting Overview of Forum Posting ……………………………………………………..7 Choose the Forum ………………….……………………………………………….....7 Register in the Forum ….……………………………………………………….....8 Post in the Forum ….……………………………………………………………….....8 Create Your Signature .………………………………………………………….....9 Secrets to Instant Traffic .…………………………………………………………...10 Chapter 3 –Blog commenting Find Blogs ……………………….…………………………………………………...12 Post Your Comments .…………………………………………………………...13 Create a Link ……………….…………………………………………………...13 Know the Blogs that Worked .…………………………………………………...13 Creative Monetization Strategies .…………………………………………………...14 Chapter 4 – Social Media - Facebook Social Networking Sites ……….…………………………………………………...17 Create a Fan Page ……………….…………………………………………………...18 Create Content ……………….…………………………………………………...18 Build Your Fan List ……………….…………………………………………………...19 Your Site Traffic ……………….…………………………………………………...20 Chapter 5 – Other Instant Traffic Methods Set Up Your Twitter Account .…………………………………………………...22 Create Your Twitter Content .…………………………………………………...22 Get More Twitter Followers .…………………………………………………...22 Your Twitter Traffic ……………….…………………………………………………...23 Conclusion ……………………….…………………………………………………...23 Sample Content Preview Importance of Traffic Traffic is the lifeblood of any kind of business. Without it, there is no purpose for creating products at all. Even if you have the best products in the world, you will not achieve success if you do not have quality traffic in your business. Generally, consumers are both the beginning and the end of businesses. Every product creation starts from the demand for such products. Hence, products are created because of the forgoing demands of the consumers which are the traffic needed for the business to start. Moreover, businesses are created to satisfy the needs of the people. As much as people need the products of businesses, so as the businesses need people to continue their business ventures. You, as an online marketer also need these people to be included in the list of your potential leads and increase the traffic in your site. Big Money for Traffic Many people spend big money to increase traffic in their business and sites. Some even spend millions of dollars for such. Google is one of the giant companies who are providing traffic to many online businesses. A lot of business owners spend millions of their dollars just to get people click their websites. Just like Google, you can also make tons of money if you can master the art of getting traffic. You may not have the revenues as much as Google have, but still you can earn high profits from knowing how to increase traffic in your site.

Ebook Sample Content Preview 1 Daddy the Superhero Value: Honor your Father and Mother Brandon and Sean loved superheroes.  They loved Superman and Batman and the Fantastic Four and dozens and dozens more.  They rooms were overflowing with action figures and comic books of all of the most amazing super heroes in the imaginary world and they knew their names and their stories to the tiniest little detail. “Tell me the favorite thing you like about a superhero.”  Mommy aced them as they settled in for their evening devotionals. “Well,” Sean started.  “They always defeat evil.  Evil monsters and people who want to hurt innocent people are always wiped out by superheroes when they use their superhuman powers.”  He said making punching thrusts into the air sitting on the couch with mommy in his footy pajamas. “What I like is that superheroes are never afraid and always know what to do.”  Brandon added looking into space like he could see his favorite superhero right there in front of him. “Well I am going to tell you of a real superhero that you live with.  We will call him SUPERDADDY.”  Mommy said happily. The boys burst into laughter.  They thought of their daddy as someone who sat at his computer working, a shy gentle man with his hair starting to go away.  “Daddy isn’t a superhero!”  They said together. “Well right after you boys were born, daddy and I received Jesus and now Jesus is in our hearts. You know that don’t you.”  Mommy said and both boys nodded. “Well Satan didn’t want us to have wonderful boys like you who would be raised to serve god.  One day, daddy got up and in his spiritual eyes, he saw the house was full of evil creatures lurking around trying to find ways to stop God from doing His will in our lives. Suddenly from far away, daddy heard the trumpet call coming from heaven that was going to have war with Satan and his demons to defeat them. Right away daddy put on his superhero armor.  He used the sword of the word of God. And the breastplate of righteousness.  Our living room was changed into a huge battleground between Satan and God’s servants.  Your daddy led the attack charging forward shouting the battle cry.  “IN THE NAME OF JESUS.” The enemy tired to attack.  They swarmed around him.  Oh, they were nasty and ugly little evil things.  They were angels who fell with Satan and demons and evil spirits like Jesus cast out of people in the Bible.” “Oh mommy, I would be so scared to see demons like that.”  Sean said his voice quivering thinking of how brave SUPERDADDY must have been. “Well SUPERDADDY was filled with the Holy Spirit so he had the boldness of God in him.” Mommy continued.  “He stabbed with the word of God’s word sending the demons howling from the battle.  Once an army of evil things tried to attack our family and daddy used the super weapon of praise.  Raising his mighty sword into the air, he sang the praises of Jesus and the evil spirits ran in fear form him.  The fire of the Holy Spirit like we read about in Acts was shooting from daddy’s sword and the ends of his fingers because he was full of God’s power and anointing to fight evil.  Finally, SUPERDADDY stood face to face with the prince of all that was evil himself. “The devil himself?  How could daddy fight him?”  Brandon said very frightened thinking of the daddy he loved facing the most evil thing in the universe. “Well that’s because your daddy is not only brave and strong and full of the superpowers of the Holy Spirit but he also knows who he serves.  He knew he could count on his Lord to back him up. He pulled the sword of the word out and declared.  “AT THE NAME OF JESUS, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW.” “Just then daddy stepped aside and knelt putting his head covered with his helmet to his sword. From behind him Jesus stepped up and cast Satan away.  Jesus spoke the word of God and banished the evil one from the battle and from our home forever.  Then he put a barrier of protection around us so we can live here in peace and worship God and so daddy and I can raise you little stinkers to become mighty men of God just like daddy.” Mommy finished the story tickling Brandon and Sean and making them giggle. “Oh now, you telling that old story of the battle with Satan again?”  Daddy said walking through and smiling seeing his family playing together. “Daddy we want to be superheroes just like you!”  Sean shouted jumping up to him for a hug. “You learn the Bible and how to pray and all the lessons you will learn at church and Sunday School and Jesus will use you boys to battle evil too.  Just you wait and see.” Daddy said hugging them goodnight.  The boys watched daddy the superhero walk away. To their eyes, he was just a regular dad, but even then, as he walked off, they thought they saw small flames shoot from his fingers...

PLR Ebook Table Of Contents

Christmas at Fezziwig's Warehouse - Charles Dickens
The Fir-Tree - Hans Christian Andersen
The Christmas Masquerade - Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
The Shepherds and the Angels - Adapted from the Bills
The Telltale Tile - Olive Thorne Miller
Little Girl's Christmas - By Winnifred E. Lincoln
A Christmas Matinee - M.A.L. Lane
Toinette and the Elves - Susan Coolidge
The Voyage of the Wee Red Cap. By Ruth Sawyer Durand
A Story of the Christ-Child (a German Legend for Christmas Eve) - Elizabeth Harrison
Jimmy Scarecrow's Christmas - Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
Why the Chimes Rang - Raymond McAlden
The Birds'Christmas (founded on fact) - F.E. Mann
The Little Sister's Vacation - Winifred M. Kirkland
Little Wolff's Wooden Shoes - Francois Coppee, adapted and translated by Alma J. Foster
Christmas in the Alley - Olive Thorne Miller
A Christmas Star - Katherine Pyle
The Queerest Christmas - Grace Margaret Gallaher
Old Father Christmas - J.H. Ewing
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
How Christmas Came to the Santa Maria Flats - Elia W. Peattie
The Legend of Babouscka - From the Russian Folk Tale
Christmas in the Barn - F. Arnstein
The Philanthropist's Christmas - James Weber Linn
The First Christmas-Tree - Lucy Wheelock
The First New England Christmas - G.L. Stone and M.G. Fickett
The Cratchits' Christmas Dinner - Charles Dickens
Christmas in Seventeen Seventy-Six - Anne Hollingsworth Wharton
Christmas Under the Snow - Olive Thorne Miller
Mr. Bluff's Experience of Holidays - Oliver Bell Bunce
Master Sandy's Snapdragon - Elbridge S. Brooks
A Christmas Fairy - John Strange Winter
The Greatest of These - Joseph Mills Hanson
Little Gretchen and the Wooden Shoe - Elizabeth Harrison
Big Rattle - Theodore Goodridge Roberts

Ebook Sample Content Preview

I. CHRISTMAS AT FEZZIWIG'S WAREHOUSE

CHARLES DICKENS

"Yo Ho! my boys," said Fezziwig. "No more work to-night! Christmas Eve, Dick!  Christmas, Ebenezer! Let's have the shutters up!" cried old Fezziwig with a sharp clap of his hands, "before a man can say Jack Robinson. . . ."

"Hilli-ho!" cried old Fezziwig, skipping down from the high desk with wonderful agility. "Clear away, my lads, and let's have lots of room here! Hilli-ho, Dick! Cheer-up, Ebenezer!"

Clear away! There was nothing they wouldn't have cleared away, or couldn't have cleared away with old Fezziwig looking on. It was done in a minute. Every movable was packed off, as if it were dismissed from public life forevermore; the floor was swept and watered, the lamps were trimmed, fuel was heaped upon the fire; and the warehouse was as snug, and warm, and dry, and bright a ballroom as you would desire to see on a winter's night.

In came a fiddler with a music book, and went up to the lofty desk and made an orchestra of it and tuned like fifty stomach-aches. In came Mrs. Fezziwig, one vast substantial smile. In came the three Misses Fezziwig, beaming and lovable. In came the six followers whose hearts they broke. In came all the young men and women employed in the business. In came the housemaid with her cousin the baker. In came the cook with her brother's particular friend the milkman. In came the boy from over the way, who was suspected of not having board enough fromhis master, trying to hide himself behind the girl from next door but one who was proved to have had her ears pulled by her mistress; in they all came, anyhow and everyhow. Away they all went, twenty couple at once; hands half round and back again the other way; down the middle and up again; round and round in various stages of affectionate grouping, old top couple always turning up in the wrong place; new top couple starting off again, as soon as they got there; all top couples at last, and not a bottom one to help them.

When this result was brought about the fiddler struck up "Sir Roger de Coverley." Then old Fezziwig stood out to dance with Mrs. Fezziwig. Top couple, too, with a good stiff piece of work cut out for them; three or four and twenty pairs of partners; people who were not to be trifled with; people who would dance and had no notion of walking...

PLR Ebook Table Of Contents

War Zone                                    3
The Expectations Game                        5
Plan Your Way Out                            7
Rally the Troops                            10
Think Like a Gymnast                        13

PLR Ebook Sample Content Preview

War Zone

You know how it is.  The Holiday season brings out the best in all of us.  We all become solicitous of one another’s feelings; everyone develops more tolerance for one another’s foibles; there is plenty of time for everything that needs to be done; traffic is usually light; the other folks always patiently wait their turn.  Isn’t that right?

Now, don’t you look at me like that!  What do you mean, “What planet am I from?”  In fact, I think you had better stop looking at me like that right now or I’ll give you a bit fat knuckle sandwich!  You know what… if you don’t like what I’m saying about the holiday season, you can just leave right now, and don’t let the door hit you in your big fat… umm, well, and okay I’ll admit that I may have overreacted a bit.   Again.

Hey, I tried.  I did my best, but I bet you find the season as trying as I do.  I’ll admit it; I’m one of those people who find the holidays inordinately stressful.  Can I go home and bury my head in that comfy quilt now?  Hide from my children, and my guests, and the in-laws, and… No?  You mean that we’ll have to get through this together?  

Then I suppose we’ll need some “coping mechanisms”, which is a high fallutin’ psycho-babble way to say, “how not to go psycho and kill folks that we generally care about most of the time”.  Yes, this year we’ll probably need ways to maintain our sanity, most of our dignity, and maybe even a bit of the joy that we are supposed to be taking from this time of the season.  

I know, I know, there is no way in the world that we’re going to manage to do this!  We’ve tried to manage this before and it never seems to work out like we’d planned for it to.  There is NO way that this season is going to be any different than all of the others, or is there?  Might there be a way to get through the season without mayhem?...