Miss Janessa Jaye Champagne Guides You Through That Special Time Of Year!
My car gets cranky when I try to start it in the morning, shoppers are even more aggressive than usual, and at least 15 times a day I hear Barbra Streisand mangle her way through “Jingle Bells” sounding like she just did a few lines of coke at Amy Winehouse’s post-rehab Hanukkah extravaganza. Ahh, the holidays are here again.
This holiday season in particular has been stressful because in addition to elbowing my way through the throngs of holiday shoppers looking for bargains, I have been finishing up my MA in English (after FAR too long, but that’s a story for another time) and planning my own “wedding of the century” on a “movie of the week” budget. My show calendar has been pretty active lately as well, which has kept me on the road and knee deep in tinsel-coated glamour.
In the midst of all this craziness, what I have found is that it doesn’t take a lot of time, money, or effort to spend a little time pampering yourself. I bring one of those gel eye masks with me to work so that when I have a short break I can de-stress. Since travelling takes up a lot of time I would rather spend reading, I look for good sales on audio books to take with me on the trip. And when I need a little bit of retail therapy that won’t leave me looking for my own financial bailout, I like to check out EBay for fun and eclectic pieces in any price range that don’t require me to fight soccer moms for parking spaces.
I also love to relax by making something. As a grad student, so much of what I do is cerebral that it can be a nice change to actually “get my hands dirty” and work on a project that, when finished, results in something I can hold up and examine and enjoy for a long time afterward. One of my favorite crafty activities is sewing and it not only allows me to have fun working on a project but also allows me to expand my feminine wardrobe or make a little extra cash by putting some of my costumes up on EBay- it’s a nice change when a little money comes IN on that site rather than always going OUT!
What I’m saying isn’t anything new, but it is important: you have to take time for yourself. And when you are a trans person (or a drag queen, or a crossdresser, or someone with a feminine persona, or however you choose to identify) it is important to remember that you need to take time for ALL of yourself. If you have to give up a night out with the “girls” to clean the house and prepare for cranky relatives, no one says you can’t do it dressed up in a frilly French maid outfit! Or if that is too high maintenance for you, slap on a little lipstick and a splash of your favorite perfume before you fire up the vacuum or wash those dishes. Just because we are busy with holiday preparations doesn’t mean that we or our femme selves have to suffer!
And if you are lucky enough to have parties and other outings planned for your inner femme, even if it isn’t any farther than your own living room, go all out! The holidays were made for glamour: outfits sparkling with glitter and sequins, ruby lips, and the colder temperatures are the perfect excuse to wear cruelty-free faux or vintage fur pieces!
My Christmas wish list always has some gorgeous glam on it: a new coat from FabulousFurs.com, some cosmetics and maybe a couple of new brushes from MAC, and some sparkly new jewelry from RonsRhinestones.com. Then there are the even more outrageous wishes: my own reality show, a magazine cover shoot (something classy like The Star or Cat Fancy!), and my very own champagne colored convertible with rhinestone Playboy Bunny spinners on the rims. But when all is said and done, at the top of my list is the most important wish of all: more time for myself and to spend with those I love the most. It may not be the cover of Cat Fancy, but it’s still the purr-fect gift!
Miss Janessa would like to sincerely apologize for the cheesy pun with which she ended her column. Perhaps it was the stress of having to buy things for other people or it might be a chemical imbalance brought on by mixing her Vicodin with too much egg nog. Whatever the cause, she feels deep shame and can be properly chastised at JanessaJaye@hotmail.com
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