The holiday season stirs up some of our most basic joys in life. The friendship and camaraderie we find at holiday parties and other social engagements is one of the highlights of the season. So is the fulfillment we gain through our special efforts to please our loved ones as we shop to find items that will make them smile. Moreover, since this is the season of giving, I encourage you to donate your time or money to those who lack of the warmth of a home, family and friends, or to children who won't enjoy the delight of opening their gifts.

While the holidays are about giving, loving and joyous celebration, many consider this time of year to be stressful, lonely and expensive. If you're feeling more like Scrooge than Santa, I offer the following aromatic blends to help you get into the holiday spirit, become more sociable, and open your heart to others who are unable to enjoy the holidays the way we do. Be ready to fully enjoy, laugh, socialize and share this holiday season by experimenting with these wonderful aromatic blends!

To create each of these blends, pour the essential oils into a 10-ml bottle and add organic vegetable oil to fill.

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Enhance Playfulness
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Remember how magical the holidays were as a child? This aromatic blend rekindles your childhood spirit, making you feel more daring, innocent and lighthearted!

-6 drops Orange
-3 drops Bergamot
-3 drops Basil

Massage your abdomen, solar plexus, neck and shoulders. Pour a few drops into the palm of your hands and inhale it deeply. Pour 20 drops of the blend into your warm bathwater and soak for at least 15 minutes.

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Increase Laughter
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Finding a way to bring more laughter into your life will ensure a longer, happier existence. This aromatic blend makes you more open to humor, and lightens your heart and mind. Enjoy the beauty of life!

-5 drops Orange
-5 drops Grapefruit
-1 drop Lemon Verbena

Massage your abdomen, solar plexus, neck and shoulders. Pour a few drops into the palm of your hands and inhale it deeply. Pour 20 drops of the blend into your warm bathwater and soak for at least 15 minutes.

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Improve Your Social Abilities
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Dread those social gatherings and holiday parties? This aromatic blend enlivens even the shyest souls.

-3 drops Basil
-3 drops Peppermint
-6 drops Grapefruit

Massage your abdomen, solar plexus, neck and shoulders. Pour a few drops into the palm of your hands and inhale it deeply. Pour 20 drops of the blend into your warm bathwater and soak for at least 15 minutes.

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Encourage Giving to Others
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This aromatic blend opens the heart and reminds us that the most valuable gift we hold within is sharing and giving to those in need.

-1 drop Rose
-2 drops Ginger
-4 drops Grapefruit
-3 drops Frankincense

Massage your heart chakra, solar plexus, neck and shoulders. Dare to wear it like a perfume! Pour a few drops into the palm of your hands and inhale it deeply. Pour 20 drops of the blend into your warm bathwater and soak for at least 15 minutes.

(c) Francoise Rapp, 2001. Discover the life-transforming power of aromatherapy! Internationally renowned aromatherapist and alchemist, Francoise Rapp, shares her expertise through aromatherapy classes designed for working adults and in her free weekly ezine, The Arom'Alchemy Newsletter. All this and more can be found at http://www.aromalchemy.com

Internationally renowned aromatherapist and alchemist Françoise Rapp was trained in the sacred ancient arts of anointing and practicing alchemy by priests and alchemists in France more than 10 years ago. She now lives in San Diego where she holds an International License in Aromatherapy. Her talents have been featured in RedBook Magazine, New Age Journal, Self.Com, and the nationally televised program "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." Visit her on the web at www.aromalchemy.com.