When I was a child, Christmas morning was the big time of celebration.
Getting up and gathering around the tree and exchanging gifts.
Then on Christmas afternoon came the big Christmas dinner.

My current husband's family had their big Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve.
First they had a big Christmas eve dinner,
after dinner the family gathered around the tree and exchanged gifts.

When the two of us became a family, each of us brought our own ideas
about the timing of the big meal and the exchange of gifts.
Our compromise turned out to be opening the gifts on Christmas eve,
and a big dinner around 1 p.m. on Christmas Day.

So for us, Christmas begins the morning of Christmas Eve,
and ends at bedtime Christmas Day.
Two days of extended eating….snacking all day Christmas eve
….and snacking and overeating all day on Christmas.
Because to me….FOOD….is celebration.

There are many esoteric arguments about WHY this shouldn't be the case,
and HOW this needn't be the case,
but on this point, raw instinct prevails,
and in FACT, it IS the case.

So….it is up to me to deal with it.

Again

Today is December 23.
Tomorrow is December 24.
The day after is December 25.

So…..it goes.

Ordinarily, in our house, the Christmas season
begins the weekend after Thanksgiving.
That's when we start decorating the house,
putting up the tree etc. 

Yesterday I decorated the Christmas tree,
and got out the Christmas candles, etc. 

This unusual behavior has happened this year
because I've been so incredibly busy
with all of my online activity. 

In just 9 days it will be Christmas,
and I have not yet bought ONE present.
Christmas shopping isn't going to happen until next week, 
because the next couple of days
I need to work on getting the videos done
that are supposed to go online on Christmas weekend. 

 Who knew that all of this would take so much time? 
My web-genius son keeps telling me that 
soon I'll become more efficient at maintaining my YouTube channel
and this will all take less energy and effort.

It had Better.
Because there are new diet books out there to read,   
and many other things that I want to do. .
....like write and post articles here in this website
on more interesting topics ....

My Dieting Hobby is a Lifestyle...that means
it continues throughout all of the many changes and activities of my life.  
Every day I log in all my food into my DietPower software.
I keep working to keep my calories down,
...sometimes successfully..and sometimes not...
I keep putting forth the Effort it takes to maintain my weight-loss. 

The Christmas season involves exposure to many additional food treats,
and handling that without an enormous weight gain is just as difficult for me now, 
as it has been in all of my previous Christmas seasons. 
My change body weight hasn't changed 
the food desires of my mind and my emotions.

People don't spent a lot of time telling us that. 
The mindset is..."I'll just take off the weight, and then it won't be a problem"
My own experience, and my observation of others 
tells me that this mindset is just totally wrong. 

It will always take work. 
It takes more work for some than it does for others
but it becomes intuitive for almost no one.

I Accept that, and I am willing to do what it takes
to enjoy myself and my life
while engaging in my Dieting Hobby. 

 Thankfulness is often a matter of perspective.

Here it is, the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
It feels to me like the Holiday season has begun.

When I woke up this morning, I didn't want to step on the scale.
I didn't feel like dieting. 
I felt like "taking a break". 
I felt like giving myself permission to eat whatever I want,
whenever I want, in whatever amounts that I want.

That's what I FELT like doing...
but that's not the behavior choice I'm making.

My behavior choice is to step on the scale, see what it says
and write down the number to be added to the graph I keep of my daily weights.
To log all of the food I eat into my computer software journal,
and to work towards eating limited amounts of reasonable foods
in a manner that will keep my daily calorie totals
close to or below the total amount of energy that my body burns.

In other words, I'm going to work to continue my dieting lifestyle
through the Holidays...even though I do not feel like it. 
Because....
that is what it takes
to be successful at weight-loss and weight maintenance

For those of you who are following my “Ask Grandma” video series
Click : “Justin Bieber & Michael Jackson" to see my latest video,
which is located in DietHobby under RESOURCES, Videos, Ask Grandma. 

 Here is my Halloween treat  to you.

  A Joke.

Okay, maybe it was a trick.☺