I love Christmas!

​I love all the decorations, the parties, the songs, the family get-togethers, the shopping, the food and everything else. It’s wonderful so long as you’re able to keep things balanced. If you can’t keep things balanced then Christmas becomes about putting up ALL the decorations, and you have to attend sooooo many parties, and face the busy crazy crowds at the mall shopping for those impossible-to-buy-for people. And there is soooooooo much baking to do and food junk food to eat. It all becomes very stressful and exhausting. Rather than a time of family, good cheer and charity it becomes a horrific gambit of obligations and chores.

It’s not necessarily a traditional holiday fragrance, but I’d like to recommend Lavender. Studies have reported that lavender is beneficial for insomnia, anxiety and stress. All the things that sap the joy out of the holiday season.

Lavender is part of the mint family. The name lavender comes from the Latin word lavare meaning to wash. Native to the mountain zones of the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and India, lavender’s history goes back over 2,000 years.

The Egyptians used it in their mummification process. The Greeks learned about lavender from the Egyptians, they called it Nard after the Syrian city of Narda. Lavender is referred to as Spikenard in the Bible and Mary used it to anoint the infant Jesus and the body of Jesus after he was crucified. The Romans learned about it from the Greeks. They used it to scent everything from baths to beds to clothes to hair. During the Renaissance it was used to protect against the Plague; lavender is reputed to have insect repellent properties and repelled the fleas. Lavender's popularity really took off in the Victorian era. Queen Victoria’s passion for the fragrant flowers trickled down to the English nobility. Street vendors would harvest the wild flowers from the surrounding hills to sell. Eventually the increased demand for lavender encouraged the commercial cultivation of the plant. Street vendors would sing about their lavender to attract potential buyers, some of these songs made it into Charles Hindley’s book “The Cries of London”, a book portraying the lives of street vendors in the early 19th century.

We here at Martha’s want to extend a very Merry Christmas to all of you. We cannot express enough appreciation for your support over these past couple years. Our hope is for you to remain focused on what’s important during this holiday season. Remember to slow down and relax from time to time. We have a lot of great products to help. Try our Lavender Eucalyptus Bath Salts; perhaps a nice long hot bath and a good book would help with the stress. We recommend the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol”. It’s a free downloadable book on Google Play or Kindle. Follow it up with some nice Lavender Body Oil before bed. Also, we have both Lavender and a Lavender Eucalyptus blend of lotion for those stressful moments. The lotion comes in the 8 oz. pump or the 2 oz. travel size.
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To help out we’d like to offer two things this December.

First, we are sending a free sample of our lavender lotion stick for our newsletter subscribers, so you have a little of this calming scent with you at all times. The lotion stick is an ultra-moisturizing solution for that dry skin. Although it can be used all over, it's great for problem spots like heels, elbows, and small cracks on hands. If you aren't already receiving our monthly newsletter, you can sign up below. Then, just email us at [email protected] to request your free sample (0.15 oz.) and to provide a mailing address. This offer is good for the month of December 2017.

Second we’d like to offer you a coupon code for 25% off all our products with 'Lavender' in the name. Use the coupon code CalmChristmas now through December 25 at marthasbathandbody.com. Our free shipping offer is still good through the end of December.

Wishing you all things Calm and Bright!
Martha's Bath and Body

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