Contact: Cyndy Salzmann, Publicist, Starting From Scratch Books, 402-681-8288, info@startingfromscratchbooks.com

MEDIA ADVISORY, October 27 /Christian Newswire/ -- With almost 60 percent of marriages ending in divorce and more than 30 percent of women over fifty-five as widows, dealing with a sudden change in marital status can be a difficult and lonely experience - especially during the holidays.

Sharon Knudson and Mary Fran Heitzman, authors of "Starting from Scratch When You're Single Again" (Strang Communications, 9/08), know from personal experience that the first holiday season "on your own" is a time of major adjustment.

"After I lost my husband - not to death, but to divorce - the holidays escalated the intensity of my grief 100-fold," says Sharon. "For 30 years we had celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years in a certain way. Our blended traditions--some from his family, some from mine--had become uniquely 'us.'"

Mary Fran says the first holiday season without her dad is best described with one word: dismal. "Fortunately, we were blessed to have a support system and that year Mom really needed them."

Unfortunately, having a support system among the Christian community is not a given. According to the Barna Group, "While it may be alarming to discover that Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, it's even more disturbing that when those individuals experience a divorce, many of them feel their community of faith provides rejection rather than support and healing."

To address this issue, Mary Fran and Sharon offer five ways to reach out to a woman who is single again during the holiday season:

1. Encourage your friend to create at least one new tradition of her own and give her some creative suggestions.

2. If your friend says she has plans for the holiday, check in with her again to make sure things haven't changed and she's suddenly alone.

3. Think about how your life would change without your spouse. Would you miss shopping for his gift or receiving a gift? Perhaps suggest a gift exchange among a group of friends.

4. Offer to babysit so your friend can shop, bake cookies, or escape to get a massage.

5. What makes your friend feel vulnerable? If she doesn't like to drive at night, offer a ride. Maybe she doesn't like walking into a party alone. Make sure you or someone else arrives at the same time.

To request an interview with the authors, contact Cyndy Salzmann at info@startingfromscratchbooks.com.