Peppermint Wishes and Candy Cane Dreams

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With Christmas coming next week, there is a list of things that I have not done and probably won’t have the time to do. This is the first Christmas that I have spent working through the holidays, and I am a Grumpy Gus. Gone are the two weeks I had as a high schooler and teacher, and don’t even mention the month-long breaks I was accustomed to in college and law school. This year, I have Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day off. No shopping has been done and it probably won’t. Mom and Dad cover your ears, but you’re probably just getting a gift card.

Despite being a bit of a Grinch this year, I think that my new schedule will be beneficial for my diet because there is no breaking from the daily grind. When I was in school, Christmas break meant two things: getting to wear pajamas all day, every day, and eating. The week between Christmas and New Year’s was the worst, with all the new toys, technology, and movies to entertain me within an arms-reach.

For the past decade of my life, Christmas break has been a time to basically be a non-functional human being. To exist simply by breathing and eating, not necessarily showering, much less exercising. There have been plenty of days over breaks when I have not left the house or possibly even my bed. Leftovers were always abundant because my mom cooks with the goal of having extra to last several days after the holiday.

This year, I will have several days of rest and relaxation that I am looking forward to. Being in the workplace for a solid three months now, I have come to realize that any day off from work is a reason to celebrate, and two extra in a row is going to be amazing. But I won’t have the same opportunities to gorge, lounge, and cease functioning. I’m not going to start running marathons over this Christmas break, but I’m also not going to eat so many calories that a marathon is my only hope.

Holidays are an excuse to eat groundhog foods—the types of foods that only appear once a year, and only long enough to see their shadow. I am not going to miss out on my peppermint favorites—Starbucks and Chic-fila, I’m talking to you—or on any of the home-cooking I get with family. That said, I have to remind myself constantly that treats are called “treats” because you reward yourself with them a little bit at a time, not like the world is really going to end tomorrow. My only dieting plan this Christmas is moderation, and I think that’s a diet that a lot of us could really get behind.

Wishing you and your’s a very Merry Christmas!

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