A Month of Delightful Decadence

For most of the year, David and I maintain a low-carb, low-cholesterol diet. We exercise regularly; we maintain our weight; we d imbibe alcoholic beverages rarely, mostly on social occasions. No big deal, it’s what we choose and we don’t feel deprived in the least. And then come the holidays.

Beginning at Thanksgiving, we begin to eat, drink, and make merry with abandon, recovering only briefly for a week or so between the turkey feast and the start of the Christmas holiday season. Then, nutrition, diet, exercise, and reasonable consumption go to hell in a handbasket… the onset of delightful decadence.

For the most part, I shun sweets from January through November allowing for a short lapse around Easter maybe. I rarely eat bread or rice or starchy foods. I stick to fish, poultry, plant-based meat substitutes, fruits and veggies. At Thanksgiving, it’s another woman that piles the mashed potatoes and turkey on her plate and smothers it all in gravy. From there, it’s a slippery slope. Dips and chips, cheese and crackers… bring ‘em on! Pies, cakes, apple crisp, cannoli, cookies, cranberry pudding, dollops of whipped cream… count me in. Candy canes, ribbon candy, Lindt truffles, Ghiradelli peppermint bark… if it’s sweet and non-nutritional, I’m there.

My sister Lin’s birthday is in December and her birthday cake this year was covered in wonderful butter frosting roses and edging which she scraped off and froze so we could binge together on frosting and mimosas (a holiday staple) one evening. We sat there with spoons, licking the heavenly sweetness, savoring each and every bite. Now that’s decadence!

Christmas Eve is a lesson in grazing. A buffet of munchies, hors d’oeuvres, sweets, and savories that is replenished frequently and eaten over the course of several hours. Christmas morning… mimosas and cinnamon rolls hot from the oven slathered in icing. Then more grazing and mimosas throughout the day until the Christmas feast is served around 3:30 pm. More food, wine, and desserts and we waddle away from the table knowing we’ll be able to snack later on the leftovers.

We usually start feeling guilty a couple of days after Christmas around the time that our jeans are feeling just a bit too snug. There’s still lots of temptation, but we figure we’ll be good again in the new year… and we will… starting soon!

Wishing everyone a healthy 2023!