Hi gang!  Guess what?  It’s December!  And not only is it December 1st, but it also just happens to fall on a Tuesday, which means I can do an official Holiday Tuesday Tip!

Tis the season for some spiked nog, mistletoe, naughty elves, and holiday gatherings.  Not necessarily in that order but feel free to use that list for some of your holiday plans if you wish.

Holiday gatherings can be fun, festive times!  But when you’re eating healthy and clean, sometimes holiday parties can turn a bit stressful.  I am here to tell you that they don’t have to be!  There is no reason to stress over a holiday party, its platters of food, and tables of indulgences.  Honestly, parties are easy peasy and you can beat the stress!

The biggest mistake we make when attending a party is that we show up hungry.  We expect to be fed and we arrive at the party hungry ready to grab a plate and glide down the buffet.  This is exactly what gets us in trouble.  Not the food at the party, but ourselves.  Showing up hungry is not in our best option nor in our best interest.  Sort of like how one should never do grocery shopping on an empty stomach or during a red alert PMS situation?  Same rules apply for holiday parties.  And this includes sit down dinners!

This is how I approach holiday parties and parties in general:

I never show up at the party hungry.  Ever.  Showing up hungry to a party makes for a bad situation.  Either I’ll end up eating a bunch of stuff I don’t want or like just to make the hunger go away.  Or I’ll spend the entire evening trying to cover up a rumbling stomach because there’s not much available that I would like to eat.  Neither situation is fun and neither situation leaves me feeling happy and content.

I eat before I go to the party and I make sure that during the day of the party, I get in plenty of servings of fruits and veggies just on the off chance there is no fresh fruit or veggies available at the party.  I do not consider Auntie Em’s homemade apple pie to be a fresh fruit choice even if those apples came from her tree out back.  By fresh fruit and veggies,  I mean something like a crudités plate or a baked/roast veggie dish that doesn’t contain a lot of butter and cheese from a can.

Because I eat before the party and because I’ve gotten in my servings of veggies and fruit for the day, this allows me to enjoy the party no matter what kind of food is served.  I can focus on the evening and the company instead of having debates with myself about what to eat and how to quickly quiet an empty stomach.

Not arriving to the party hungry gives me a chance to snack at my leisure and enjoy foods.  I can take small bites of things or I can hover around the cheese plate enjoying some nibbles without feeling like I’m sacrificing anything.  Or if there isn’t anything at the party I care to eat, then I don’t feel forced to eat something just because I’m hungry and have to eat something.

When I go to parties I have no expectations.  I do not expect or assume it’s the host’s job to feed me.  I’m a responsible adult, I can feed myself.  When I go to a party, I just want to have fun.  If there’s food there that I can nibble on, that’s just a bonus!

This holiday season, look at holiday parties with a different perspective and try a new approach.  You just might realize that they don’t have to be stressful at all. :)

Happy Holidays from OHC!