I love turkey. Ham, too. Speaking as a low carber, these hallmarks of protein were made for me. But some other holiday perennials are problematical.
Chances are there are a few time bombs laying around your house this time of year as well. They may not be the same time bombs as mine, but whatever the particulars, the resulting carnage has pretty much the same effect.
I love eggnog. I'd love to drink a quart or two at a time. I don't do this but I'd like to. I will however knock back one glass and pour a second one before I leave the kitchen.
I'm crazy about stuffing. The boxed stuff. And mashed potatoes and gravy. Most of the year these weaknesses just don't come up a lot at my house. But this is the season, my friend.
I could sit down with a plate holding nothing but a mountain of stuffing, and mounds of potatoes, with a lake of gravy shimmering and slickering across the whole landscape.
The turkey and ham I mentioned earlier? Well yeah, I love them. But they don't sing a song to me the way these carby seductresses do.
And I know when I dive into it what is waiting for me on the other side of my decadent swim. Indigestion and heartburn. The feeling of having eaten a rock. A boulder. Two boulders.
Sometimes this foreknowledge will stay my hand and moderation will win. Mind, this time of year abstention doesn't seem to be a real option for me. It should of course. But my sordid past history tells me different.
I should be painting a radiant picture of how wonderful you will feel if you nobly resist all temptation. I figure, if you're able to do that, you will be doing it anyway no matter what I say.
Similarly, I figure that many of us are in the same (gravy) boat as me. And all the appeals to a strong moral fiber for this lot, is going to fall on deaf ears.
It shouldn't of course. But here again, history tells its tale. My history. Your history.
We will all make it through the next few weeks, whether we make it through pristine and as good examples to others ... or perhaps with a few gravy stains on our shirts and possibly a loosening of the ol' belt for a bit.
Either way, my wish for you is that you enjoy yourself to the hilt during the holiday season in whatever way you see fit. And with a raise of my (second) glass of eggnog, I salute you.
Visit Jody's website and blog at http://www.ncubator.ca and http://ncubator.ca/blogger