What are the holidays really about is it eating, people or just gratitude.
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retirehappy
Posts: 4,757 Member
Time to start planning what to do during the feasting season.
So what do the holidays mean to each of us?
For me, in the past it was the eating, as a child I loved all the extra treats that weren't around the rest of the year. As I got older I realized I got those because the people who made them loved me dearly and when they passed on, I realized how very much those holidays were about being with those dear ones.
Now, I am just grateful I have made it through another year, and can relax and enjoy some special treats, seeing others I haven't seen for a while, and realizing just how precious the harvest time is and that is why the year's end has become a time of feasting.
So what are you planning to do this holiday season?
So what do the holidays mean to each of us?
For me, in the past it was the eating, as a child I loved all the extra treats that weren't around the rest of the year. As I got older I realized I got those because the people who made them loved me dearly and when they passed on, I realized how very much those holidays were about being with those dear ones.
Now, I am just grateful I have made it through another year, and can relax and enjoy some special treats, seeing others I haven't seen for a while, and realizing just how precious the harvest time is and that is why the year's end has become a time of feasting.
So what are you planning to do this holiday season?
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We don't have Thanksgiving here in the UK - so hoping to keep on keeping on until the bow out that is Christmas! lol
Jean0 -
We don't have Thanksgiving here in the UK - so hoping to keep on keeping on until the bow out that is Christmas! lol
Jean
Lucky Duck, YOU. No Thanksgiving is unheard of over here. I stopped throwing Thanksgiving parties years ago. We go out have the one meal and no left overs etc. makes life easier.
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I was planning to eat a small meal here, but my niece invited us to go to her house. So, it will be more challenging, as there will be plenty to eat.0
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We have a very small Thanksgiving but the traditional menu items are very important to everyone, including me! I have tried to reduce calories and reduce carbs and results have been mixed. So I think that I will have plenty of vegetables to fill my own plate and leave a little rooms for the rest!0
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We missed Canadian Thanksgiving and will go out for dinner for American Thanksgiving so no leftovers to tempt me. We go just because we love turkey. Christmas is not planned yet but I gave up baking years ago and when someone does give us baking, I freeze part of it so not so much is available at one time. I checked back on last year and did OK while I was losing weight so I do not see any reason this year on maintenance should be any harder. I ate everything available but was very careful with portions and worried more about weekly averages than one day of that week. I hope you all make certain you enjoy your holidays and enjoy every mouthful you eat.0
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We are retired military and several of our group retired in the same area. Our kids all grew up together on different military bases. So every year we rotate who has the big dinner and we all bring covered dishes and drinks to the house of choice. This year it's my turn and I'm really excited about it. As we have all gotten older we are making healthier dishes so even if we do splurge a little, it isn't as devastating. This has been a tough year for our family, so a get together for a happy reason is going to be great!0
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For the past fifteen years, most of the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays have just been Rick and I, although my son started joining us for Christmas when he moved down here a few years ago. We've moved away from the traditional Thanksgiving meal - often we'll have ribeye steaks Rick makes on the BBQ or shrimp in one form or another. I try to go a bit more traditional for Christmas because son asks for that.
My big 'thing' is that for many years now I've made 'treat trays' for Rick's customers - usually 7 or 8 varieties of home made cookies, candies or bars. Generally I make about 1500 items (an item = one cookie) and folks start bugging Rick about them starting in September
I can't avoid tasting the dough and a sample of the cookie -that's how I can tell when it's right - but have been doing better about getting the stuff AND the candy used for decoration out of the house quickly after the deliveries have been made. Well, maybe a handful or so stay at the house 
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This is going to be an unusual holiday season for me because it will be my first in Florida (Christmas in Florida? hmmmmm) with my new DH so its pretty special. For Thanksgiving I am strongly considering a restaurant (have not told him that yet lol). For Christmas I will cook. Since we are both trying to lose weight, we will have ONE sweet and I know he will request my sour cream pound cake. It will be sliced and put in the freezer and we will plan one piece a week. Besides that, we have new traditions to establish!0
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I love Thanksgiving as we do all get together plus a few other strays. As I grew up and as my kids grew up, we never had a dinner with lots of people. Most years, it was just the 4 of us. I still wanted all the traditional food, but it would take all day to prepare. 1/2 hour to eat. And over an hour or two cleaning up and putting away leftovers. Never made sense to me to take longer cleaning up than it did to eat.
Once the kids were out of the house and married, etc., dinners got to be bigger. I would invite the "in-laws" and any friends of anyone's who didn't have a place to go. Dinner would get up to 17 or so. Now, when they are that big, you sit around and talk after dinner, drinking wine, waiting for the food to settle before you bring out the pie. So much nicer. So far we are at 10 for this year.
I'm not going to count or log on Thanksgiving! I am not going to "diet-ize" anything. It will be what it will be. It is the only "feast" day we celebrate. Christmas isn't much about food in our family. It is more about the kids and Santa. We usually don't do anything for Easter except to get together, but not for a big dinner.0 -
Usually our holidays are not about eating people. Wait - there is a comma between the words. Whew. That saved a bunch of relatives.
Our holidays used to be about eating, exchanging gifts, and somewhere in all that noise the relatives got to see one another. Too much stress was put on all the preparations.
Now our family is smaller and we emphasize the meaning of each holiday.0 -
I agree with the not counting or logging on an actual holiday. There are very few I do that with and I think a celebration should be just that. It's not a sprint, its a lifestyle. Relax, enjoy, and possibly after dinner go for a walk, but only if you feel like it!
I won on the idea of dinner at a restaurant. Turns out our favorite restaurant at Mexico Beach has not yet closed for the season and will be having a Thanksgiving buffet. My dh always takes Thanksgiving off and lets his partner in the office have Christmas because his partner is young and has two small children and I completely agree with this system (not if its expected but if its given willingly). So I will be cooking on Christmas Day when dh will work half a day and be on call for the rest.
Turns out we will be closing the housewe sold in NC in December so our holiday present for each other may just be new flooring in this house. This house has wall to wall carpet and I can't WAIT for it ALL to be gone. I am presently researching flooring and dreading this project! Anyone have advice/warnings?
Janet0
