As I was planning what to give our neighbors, I realized how much sugar is a crutch during the holidays. It's easy, cheap and hard to resist. (Insert joke here...)
Last year, my go-to gifts were toffee, cookies and cinnamon rolls. This year, it's time for a REFOCUS! The teachers got sweet pinecone gifts, assembled by my children.
Pinterest, as always, provides lovely inspiration. The neighbors in previous years have received decorated sugar cookies that were time-consuming to make and inevitably resulted in my own weight gain and sugar crazies took over the children. Why would I give a gift like that to my neighbors?
*Knock on door*
Me-- "Hello neighbor! I know that we like each other and that you lend me a hand when needed but I've decided to gift you this year with an extra 3 pounds around your middle, some added insecurity and sprinkled with a threat of future type 2 diabetes. Merry Christmas!"
Maybe culturally it goes a little differently than that but the outcome is the same. Why not gift our neighbors with something they can enjoy that fuels their body well and leaves behind no unwelcome pounds, or blood sugar crashes? We settled on a healthy trail mix.
Remember to choose nuts and dried fruit that have no additional salt or sugar added and go sparingly with any chocolate. Mini dark chocolate chips could be just the thing!
And if you're feeling crafty with your kids, here are a few more fun ideas for decorating and wrapping gifts.
I have scraps of burlap all over the house so I'll be utilizing the newspaper and burlap while wrapping gifts tonight! My kids can help with this too. And speaking of children, it's a season of too many treats for them too. A few healthy snack ideas will keep everyone in a merry mood without the wild sugar craziness.
Children can have fun with these and you'll only need a little bit of prep work and household food items.
I wish you a very merry, healthy and happy Christmas. Live life to the fullest! Be the version of yourself that you really want-- decide what you want and go after it!
