This month's blog post will help you minimize your stress by focusing on thriving, not just surviving, during the holidays with tips from relationship guru, Patricia Ryan Lampl, an award-winning television producer and co-author of Love for Grown-Ups: The Garter Brides' Guide To Marrying For Life When You've Already Got a Life, published by Harlequin Non-Fiction.

If going through a divorce or recently divorced, the holidays always present a dizzying array of demands on your time, wallet and emotions. Here are some tips to create a stress-free and rewarding holiday.

• Yes, go to the parties! And try to go alone. You're much more approachable by yourself than as part of a group of girlfriends.
• At office holiday parties make friends with your colleagues' wives –happily married people want to see other people married. They could become a source of new people to meet.
• Avoid friends who are 'downers' – the last thing you need is to be around anyone who is depressed or angry. Remember, happiness is contagious. Stick with your upbeat pals.
• Help someone else feel good. Volunteer in a soup kitchen or a hospital. Engage in the true spirit of the season. It'll make you feel good, AND, you never know who you'll meet
• Buy yourself a frivolous gift.
• Make a memory. Treat yourself to a new experience. Have you always wanted to see the Rockettes? Now's the time to go. Get a couple of friends together and have dinner afterwards.
• Be a kid again – go ice skating or sledding. And, yes, have hot chocolate – with marshmallows!
• Take a ride to somewhere beautiful and have lunch at an inn. Surround yourself with the beauty and peacefulness of nature.
• Take care of yourself inside and out. Go to a yoga class, take a swim, get a massage.

The new year is the perfect jumping off point for settings goals – and making the year ahead one of new experiences and adventures. Happy Holidays from THE GARTER BRIDES!

Patricia Ryan Lampl is a magazine columnist, author and award-winning television producer. She is co-author of Love for Grown-Ups: The Garter Brides' Guide To Marrying For Life When You've Already Got a Life, published by Harlequin Non-Fiction. She has also written for EHarmony and The Knot. She is also the author of four children's books. To learn more about the sisterhood of The Garter Brides, visit them on Facebook at Facebook.com/thegarterbridesor at thegarterbrides.com.