It's my favorite time of year!!! I absolutely LOVE the Christmas! The decorating and the parties and the shopping and the gift-giving and the music and...the FOOD! Oh good Lord I love the food! Cookies and pies and egg nog and candy canes and so many delicious treats filled with more calories than Michael Phelps' Olympic training diet! AHHHHHHH!!!

So, what are some of your tips and tricks for getting through the Holidays without eating yourself into oblivion? Let's come up with a good list of holiday eating strategies that we can all use. Together, we'll make it to 2012 without having to get our "fat pants" back out of the closet!

Here are some of mine:

- At holiday dinners, skip over the stuff you can eat on an everyday basis, saving room for the unusual dishes (ie: skip the mashed potatoes so you can have some stuffing).

- take a healthy dish to that holiday potluck (ie: veggie tray)

- If you're a baker like me, choose only a couple kinds of your favorite cookies to bake...and give most of them away as gifts!

- Eat a meal before heading out to holiday parties so you're already full and won't binge at the party.

- Keep healthy Snacks on hand at the office. If your office is anything like mine, there are always holiday treats lying around.

- And above all remember: EVERYTHING IN MODERATION! It's OK to allow yourself a few holiday treats, but don't overdo it!

Ok everyone, your turn!

I too adore christmas, i will allow myself to have my favourites like christmas cake, panattone and sweet mincepies but only a 1 inch square, this gives me the taste of christmas not the full on calories.