The holidays are coming. Whether we like them or not! Here are some tips on how to survive and stay healthy:

• We might as well try to find some things about the holidays that we enjoy, cuz we can’t fight the calendar. If you don’t enjoy anything about the holidays, then create something you enjoy. Book something fun! Throw your own Thanksgiving Eve party. Have some peeps meet you for happy hour. Don’t wait for an invite. Make it happen.
• If you stress about overeating/weight gain etc due to multiple holiday parties, eat super healthy the days leading up to Thanksgiving and right after. Eat a ton of fresh fruits and veggies. Walk a bunch. Dance. Move around!
• Cut back on things that cause stress. Maybe give to charity instead of buying 1,000 presents? I know it seems like the world will stop turning if you do something like that…but I promise, it will be ok. Something we did to cut down on stress: we stopped putting up a tree. It’s pretty silly but between work and band etc, it’s one less thing we need to take care of and I LOVE not having to deal with it. And putting it away is so sad! We’ve also started focusing less on gift giving. It seems like we were all just exchanging gift cards anyway. Maybe these examples aren’t right for you, which is totally ok! But I bet there’s something you can cross off your list.
• If there’s nothing you can cut back on, then do something to de-stress. A lot of people do it. Go to a yoga class. Get a massage. We don’t just magically wake up happy and stress-free one day. We actually need to work at it! It’s a practice.
• Serve/bring vegetable appetizers. People show up hungry. They’ll eat whatever is on the table. Roast broccoli and cauliflower with olive oil, garlic, and salt. Delicious! Serve fresh vegetables with a healthy homemade dip. Try this one. (Add extra spices, though.) Or just mash up some ripe avocados and add fresh lemon, sea salt, minced garlic, black pepper, diced red onion to make guac. Maybe some hot spice. Serve with celery sticks and red pepper slices instead of chips/crackers.
• Skip the dinner rolls. With allllll that food on your plate, the rolls are just fattening fluff. You don’t need them!
• Going to someone’s house for Thanksgiving dinner? You must bring something. None of that “Can I bring anything?” stuff. Yes, you can and should bring something. And be generous if you are able! Bring the nicer bottle of champagne. Get a fancy cheese instead of a pack of Cracker Barrel that’s on sale for 2 for $5. Don’t have a clue of what to bring? Here’s one of my favorite secrets: the fruit platter. When you make a fruit salad in a bowl, you have to chop everything. But if you do a platter, you don’t have to do as much work. Leave the pineapple rind on. Leave the strawberry tops on. Cut big pear slices. It won’t take a ton of fruit to fill up the plate. Make it colorful! And there’s no cooking involved. Muah-ha-haaaaa
• The earlier you start your holiday shopping, the more time you have to complete it. People hate this tip; they’d rather put off the shopping cuz the thought stresses them out. But putting it off actually makes things harder. It decreases the amount of time that you give yourself! Start by making a table. Left column = people to buy for. Middle column = gift ideas for them. Right column = fill this out when you actually buy something for them. Cuz if you’re like me, you’ll buy someone a great gift and then two days later think “what the heck is this and why did I buy it?!” Start your table today!
• Focus on gratitude. Really. We are guaranteed nothing. Who knows?! We might not be here next year. For a week straight, write down three things you’re thankful for. Think about why those things are in your life. Really ponder.

Happy Thanksgiving season! We are thankful for YOU.