Is it Really the December Holidays if we’re Not Overeating or Over Drinking?

Yes, Virginia, we can have tasty cocktails in December.

Photo by shche_ team on Unsplash

Hey All!

I’m sorry that I’m so late today (I blame December).

Pearl One

Is it a real holiday if we’re not celebrating by overeating and over drinking? There was certainly a time when I’d have thought, well of course eating big is part of the fun!!

Nowadays, I’m not so sure. I think about when my grandma was a little girl — 1916 to 1928 — special food only appeared on Christmas, it was too special and pricey to have on the regular. Which isn’t something you and I have much familiarity given that we live in the Age of Amazon.

While eating big throughout December sounds like a hoot, I wonder. I mean, pretend we’re going to a huge Broadway show like the Lion King or Hamilton, if we’re offered cheesecake would we really chow in earnest with all of the excitement spilling out on stage?! (I’m not talking about a boring show, I’m talking about a spectacular performance.)

While I wasn’t lucky enough to see Hamilton in person, I did see the Lion King and at my heaviest I wouldn’t have dreamed of eating with gusto while watching that show’s feast for the eyes. I call the Broadway shows nourishment for our hearts.

Another example: say you flew to be in the audience for your grandchild’s piano recital, do you wish you had a chocolate-mint shake hidden in your lap so that you could slurp quietly? I would call being at a loved one’s recital nourishment for our hearts too.

My point is that we might be using massive amounts of high-caloric food to make our time together seem “more fun,” when really it’s our hearts crying out for nourishment like the following:

• playing a rousing board game (Trivial Pursuit Family, Friends, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and Master Edition for ages 16 +).

• encouraging everyone to share a heartfelt memory (each person contributes a happy memory involving one other person in the room, or a story about a beloved animal, vacation, or hurdle-overcome).

• making hot chocolate and s’mores around an outdoor fire pit.

I just wonder how much overeating is due to very little engagement with others?

We live in the wealthiest culture known to mom-kind, and yet we’re also the loneliest. According to U.S. Census data (info collected pre-Covid), “One-third of adults over 45 years of age feel lonely, while 43% of adults over 65 report they’re lonely on a regular basis.”

It seems to me like we’re short-changing ourselves when we dive into food as the “be-all” for the holidays.

This season, let’s be the model by encouraging activities that see us engaging with each other, rather than over drinking and overeating with our nearest and dearest. ♥

Pearl Two

I’m excited because this “skill” is one of my favorites. Ready for a sure-fire way to support yourself while living the Smart Eating Lifestyle for December and every month thereafter?

Put constraints into your life. For example, I largely don’t buy books (because they’re so hard to move) and think it’s way easier to use the library. When I think of travel I limit myself (for now) to DC down to Florida. I only use hypoallergenic make-up because my eyes, my skin, my heart – everything is sensitive. lol.

Because of my constraints I don’t peruse Costco’s great book section hemming and hawing over buying a book for myself. But I will jot the name down and get it at the library. I don’t think about visiting Lake Tahoe or Hawaii (for now) because the Eastern seaboard beaches down to Florida are awesome.

We already constrain ourselves in life, but we may not realize that’s what we’re doing. Vegans and vegetarians are definitely constraining themselves. I constrain myself from only adopting rescue kitties and pups. When I was young, my dad always raved about Toyotas – and funny enough – that’s what I buy today.

So, you see my point.

But how does constraining ourselves help us thrive on the Smart Eating Lifestyle? Our lives get a bit easier when we give up an entire food item like ice cream which I’ve done for years (until the ice cream fiasco with my braces, but I’m happily back on my, “I don’t eat ice cream” plan).

Avoid Decision Fatigue

Use the constraint tool to make your smart eating life easier. Pick a food group like bread, desserts, alcohol, or cereal and just tell yourself, When I eat out I only choose from the side dishes or salad section. If I order a full entrée I take half of the meal home in a doggie bag.

As my Gram would say, “no ifs, ands, or buts.”

Constrain yourself, and reap the resulting success. ♥

Pearl Three

Our December Topic: food “tools” that I lean on to make maintaining a lower weight doable. In honor of this very festive month, I give you:

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Makes two servings.

On simmer heat two cups of chocolate almond milk. Calories range from 35 to 100 calories on the brand, but remember to choose unsweetened for the lowest calories.

After heating the chocolate, pour into mugs and add a quarter cup of peppermint schnapps to each mug (150 calories for one quarter cup or two ounces).

To make it more fun add a swoosh of whipped cream to the top and stir with a candy cane. While this is made for two people, I make it for one: me. ♥

Pearl Four

Our Food Slot! In honor of this very festive month, I give you a fun dessert that doesn’t break the bank:

Sliced angel food cake drizzled in chocolate with crushed candy cane sprinkled on top. I’ve taken this exact, very pretty combination to potlucks. But I’m not adverse to eating slices at home.

I’d love to hear your favorite “food tools.” Send them in! Wendy@WendyIrvineWriter.com. ♥

Pearl Five

I had no choice but to boss up and create my own lane.” — Anonymous ♥

♥, Wendy

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