Whether you celebrate Christmas, as I do, another holiday, or your tradition is to ignore the entire season – extra eating often enters our lives during this time of the year. Celebrating holidays and events is not just American – it’s part of human culture. We can look back into scriptures and know that long before Jesus Christ was born, families were celebrating events with fatted calves and big parties. Seems to me that this tradition is not ending any time soon.

One of posts that I had the most fun writing was December 27, 2011:  Choosing Confidence or Remorse – Reminiscing the Christmas Meal. The point is that you can make some really excellent choices to keep yourself safe from overeating during the holidays; but you also may want to cut yourself a little slack. Enjoy your meal and then get back to the reality of life, when the big day has passed. The reality is that many of us live in an environment with no lack of food – yes, surplus food surrounds us. The main reason that I enjoyed writing that blog was that it reminds me that a big day does not have to spell the end of good resolutions for better eating habits. Dig right back into to your new habits (or even your small and tentative first steps to change eating habits) and realize that in a few days you’ve recovered completely. Eating too much over the holidays is not equivalent to going off a diet or giving up trying to take small steps. What is most important is the way we think! Not allowing ourselves to become discouraged is a very important part of weight management.

Whether you’re looking for Santa, or a lovely spiritual experience, or just some well-deserved relaxation time, tonight I send my sincere wishes that the day will be filled with love and goodness.

Sending my wishes for a beautiful holiday season,

Joyce