Christmas tree on Wednesday, Nathan's class bowling party Thursday, Suz's jewelry party last night, Nathan's basketball game today - things are getting busy, busy, busy! Three holiday parties next week (!), couple more the week after...oh boy, 'tis not the season for weight loss, ack. The key, for me, is avoiding the alcohol as much as possible. As much as I love (love!) a glass of wine, it does wreak havoc with my appetite and the scale, even a glass. Even a half-glass, which I had last night at the jewelry party, with no food - effin scale bumped up this morning. Wine = whine! I know it's not a real weight gain, of course, but it's a day of un-losing, a stall as it were, and it ain't *&^%$* worth it (she growls).

Now, that said (whined, and growled), I'm not going through the holidays without enjoying a few glasses of wine - moderation, not deprivation, is the name of this game. But I will definitely have to be quite "present" at buffets and bars, asking myself, Do I Really Want This? A question to get in the habit of asking oneself all day long, it turns out. I'm pretty amazed at how often the answer is "no, not really." Get the hell out of the kitchen, Stephanie, and do something else enjoyable instead. Are there things I enjoy other than food and cooking? Why yes, there are, as shocking as that may sound. Read a book. Practice deep belly breathing (good for the metabolism, see below). Stretch. Check email. Make a cup of tea. Go for a walk. Chat with someone. Look at photo albums. Tidy up. Build a fire. Take a bath. Run an errand. Good thing I like to do so many fascinating things, huh?

Two interesting weight-loss books I've read recently, not the same old rehash, easy to incorporate, and effective, at least for me so far:
Jumpstart Your Metabolism by Pam Grout
Survival of the Thinnest by David Hariton

I'm hoping to get by without baking cookies this season - kinda Grinchy, I know. But I don't really want them, and no one else in this house particularly needs them (ahem), and the opportunities to eat others' creations (which always taste better anyhow!) are everywhere, so it's really no loss. Believe me, no one's going to be deprived of sweets this holiday season! I've been having holiday fun decorating with Nathan instead - I've put a serious amount of time into arranging tree-top pots, decorating wreaths, spiffing up inside, and now we're about to tackle the tree.

In fact, I'd better go and do just that - John's got a big fire crackling out there, some tunes playing, and the tree is a-calling...