Holiday spirit

Have you noticed that as December begins most people are in good moods? Maybe because they are still full from Thanksgiving dinner, but realistically they may be feeling the holiday spirit.

On the other hand make sure to suck up all of this good energy because as the month rolls on, the niceness seems to go away and the short tempered moods, irritated personalities and hateful scrooge like attitudes emerge. I am a believer that most people go so overboard during the holidays and I really do think that fear of disappointing someone adds to the gift list, the credit card statement and the stress now and when the bills come in January.

I am also a believer that most people have lost the true meaning of the holidays and have instead become a product of guilt driven Madison avenue price tag holiday bliss.

About ten years ago a dozen, actually 6 couples whom I have known for years told me they had all decided to step away from the holidays. The twelve of them always did the gift swap and every year it continued to get bigger and bigger including everything from clothing to trips and cruises. They said they had decided to do it different and they were going to rent three cabins at Mt Charleston, north of the Las Vegas Valley. They packed up all the food and festivities and put all their names in a hat and each drew one name. This is the one and only gift they could buy and the limit was twenty dollars.

They arrived at Mt Charleston and went into their cabins. They went on hikes, went on a sleigh ride, popped popcorn and strung it with cranberries and decorated a big pine outside one of the cabins. They built fires and sat around and enjoyed each others company free of the normal high price tag holidays. They told me it was the best holiday ever and that it would continue yearly, and it has with this year being the tenth year in a row. They said they still spend twenty dollars on the gift but they have all become extremely creative when they shop and try to out do each other with creativity and variety.

I wish this for everyone, but not everybody is able to do this, so for those of you stressed out and starting the 4 week steep climb to the holidays, these few nutritional changes may help you stay focused and healthy and a little more stress free.

Drink plenty of water and do not skip meals to keep you blood sugar from dropping, take time out and schedule meals. Did you know that when blood sugar drops it causes your emotions to change, causes you to make bad choices and may just keep you from staying focused and on track.

Take plenty of B Complex vitamins for energy and stress relief and plenty of good chelated multiple minerals at night to sleep well and keep those muscles and bones strong. Take your Vitamin C to keep your immune system strong, and wash your hands as frequently as possible. Get enough rest and when going shopping go out with a list and stick to it.

I thought you might enjoy the story of my friends and their quest to regain the true holiday spirit. Their story allowed me to enjoy and remember and experience the true meaning of the holidays.

GIVING THANKS, BEING WITH LOVE ONES, GREAT FOOD AND CELEBRATING LIFE!

i