Tips to survive Christmas
Delegate
There’s no reason why everyone in the house shouldn’t help out. Decide in advance whose job it is to wrap presents or set the table. If everyone knows what their task is, there will be fewer arguments. If you’re hosting Christmas dinner, ask guests to bring the starter and/or a salad or dessert, so you only have to tackle the main course. If you just can’t cope with cooking, organise to eat out.
Run away
Not spending the day with parents or relatives can be interpreted as not loving them enough, but if you really want to escape, don’t feel guilty: reassure them that you’ll see them before you go and when you get back. If you are separated from family and friends through work or distance, helping out in a shelter for the homeless or delivering meals for the elderly can be very rewarding when everything seems so commercial.
Lower your expectations
Don’t try to make Christmas perfect — it won’t be. Decide that you’ll be happy if you have a nice day with good food and a few laughs. If things end up better than you expected, that’s a bonus. Keep it simple — you don’t need to have a huge tree, design your own greeting cards, and bake your own mince pies. Settle for a big bunch of flowers, some scented candles and a sentimental favorite like Nat King Cole on the CD player.
Don’t Try to Please Everyone
If you’re hosting The Big Dinner, don’t expect to do it the way your mother or any other previous generation did it. That means if you grew up eating goose but always hated it, you can have a turkey, or ham, or whatever you want. It means if your father-in-law expects to have homemade Christmas pudding, you can tell them to either try the pumpkin pie or ask your mother-in-law to bring pudding. At my first Christmas dinner at my home, I put out Christmas crackers since I’d always seen them as a child and wanted my children to have them. My mother asked why I was using them, we’re not British, after all (even though I am actually one-eighth British, thank you very much). Do as you wish to make this memorable for your family, but be ready for sly (or not-so-sly) comments.
Drink in moderation
There is no doubt that many bottles will be opened this festive season. Whatever your taste is moderation is the big key. Before you arrive at your destination, eat a small meal of something healthy, as you may have to wait hours before eating. Between each drink make sure to hydrate by drinking a glass of water, and give your liver a chance by limiting yourself to one drink per hour.
Eating in moderation
With the holiday eating season upon us, there’s rich food wherever we turn, and the biggest fear is turning the scale a little further. Take control of what you eat this summer and deny the will to over eat
There are a few things that you can do to avoid the 1 maybe 5 extra kilos. Start by eating a healthy breakfast, not only will you feel better and have more energy all day, you won’t be inclined to overeat later on.
Once the dips and entrees start arriving , be sure to nibble on the fruit plates first, and remember not to fill your entire plate, there’s more food coming. The main course is where you should be choosing a smaller plate, and chew chew chew. Tasting the food before swallowing, not only helps digestion but also leaves us feeling more satisfied.
Have a safe and Merry Christmas and we hope to see you in the near future.