It's started. What are you going to do? How many things can you schedule in a month? How could you possibly get doctor's appointments scheduled for the month of December?
I've been to the first party of this holiday season. I went to a church fundraiser. It was an oyster roast. Don't get me wrong; I like oysters and shrimp. This was a big party with loads of food and people. We walked into a big kitchen and were handed a big plate of shrimp, corn, sausage and slaw. We were ushered to a table and servers brought loads of freshly steamed oysters. I did use a little restraint but I got my fill. Now comes the difficulty of the season. What happens next?
I've gotten several invites with scheduling conflicts. The scheduling conflicts can be for many reasons. How can you go to a big BBQ supper on a Sunday night and go to a doctor's appointment the next day? First thing you hear is how much weight you've gained since your last visit or the lecture about your blood pressure being up. What can you say but "I've been to three parties in the last week eating all the things you say I shouldn't have in my diet." See what I mean? Why would you have a December appointment?
Office parties can be difficult to turn down. Several of my friends go to required work parties. One guy told me that he used to get into trouble for drinking at office parties. A few years ago he quit drinking but found out he still had all his anti-social bad manners. The drinking had nothing to do with him hating his co-workers.
Bad manners can just run in the family. That seems to be a strategy for some family members. At Thanksgiving dinner just start talking politics. Crank it up a few levels and once the shouting starts you can be guaranteed that you won't have to buy any Christmas presents.
In-laws can bring added problems. What happens when the in-laws bring some of their relatives? Now you have strangers adding to the holiday tensions. They don't have anything to lose. They would not be included in any kind of gift-giving scenario therefore they don't care who they insult.
The food scheduling can be the hardest thing. What can you do with your cheap skate sister-in-law that only brings a pint of sweet potatoes to feed her part of the 30 people who are coming for dinner? There are advertisements for emergency pizza deliveries. That is a helpful phone number. It can save the day when the three brother-in-laws set fire to the beer fuel turkey-frying imbroglio. I always recommend filming that. The big flames and near explosion might end up on network television and win $10,000.
I hope you have luck with getting to all your holiday parties, meals, and family gatherings. Best of luck getting your resolutions started early so that you can have some restraint instead of having to sleep off a wild kingdom like feeding frenzy. Good luck with all the relatives that could possibly show up just to rev up the drama for the holiday season.
I feel like I've already eaten enough for the entire month of December. This coming week, I'm going to try to get my schedule figured out and hopefully can show some discipline in my diet. Luckily, my doctor's appointment was scheduled before Thanksgiving.