I have a saying that goes ‘Gluttony is its own reward’.

As we sit a day or two after Christmas and reflect on that statement, I wonder if it is was true for you this year?

Twas the day after Christmas

And All through the House

Not a Creature Was Stirring

Not Even a Mouse 

The Belt Buckles were loosened

As both women and men

Had thrown themselves at the feast

As if they’d not see food again

Does that poem describe your Christmas eating? I really hope not. As I am writing this before Christmas, I want to prophetically state that it will not be true for me. Not this year but it definitely has been that before.

And it really is so stupid.

ENJOY THE TASTE

One of the reasons for it at our Christmas dinners is that it is the one time a year that my mom makes her incredible pumpkin fritters. I have never tasted anyone else’s that come close to hers and so of course I have to make sure I eat about thirteen of them.

Another huge issue when we dinner at my folks has been the enormous selection of food. My mom loves to make all the things all the people like and so generally it ends up being a lot. My mistake is often feeling like I have to have a generous portion of everything. I typically run out of plate. It is not good.

In the past I have traditionally had to have a break between mains and dessert (of at least an hour) to go and lie on the couch and feel bad because of over-eating. Which is okay, if you do it once, right? But year after year? When does the learning kick in? And surely I am not the only one falling for this, right?

A CHRISTMAS RESOLUTION

Fortunately I tackled this a couple of years ago. Unfortunately I’m over 40 years old and should have dealt with it a couple of decades ago – clearly a slow learner.

So the last few Christmas meals have been a lot more enjoyable, because I have slowed things down. Eaten as if I am going to eat again the following day. As if the food is not going to be all gone by the time I want to go back for seconds. I think last year I was actually able to go straight into dessert without needing the break. Progress.

I think learning this lesson well around the Christmas meal table is something that will benefit us across the rest of life as well. We tend to get attracted by ‘shiny things’ in all different shapes and forms: The latest entertainment, the new car or clothes brand, the very newest latest cellphone, and more. Greed trumps need, and it leaves a wake of waste in its path.

I imagine it would be tough for us to sit together and come up with a definitive list of ‘What we need to get by in life’ that everyone would agree on. But I imagine that most of us would probably admit that we have a lot of things that fall outside what that list would look like for us. What if, as we head towards a new year, we commit to living a life that sticks a little bit closer to that list?

CULL THE FAT 

How about taking this challenge as a good way to head towards the start of another year?

If you’re a couple or a family, you can do this together and if you’re single maybe invite some friends to do it with you to get that sense of community togetherness. Go through every room of your house, look at your stuff and get rid of the excess.

If we’re talking clothes for example, maybe a good line to use is if you have not worn something for the last year, get rid of it. What shoes do you not wear any more? Same thing.

Kitchen accessories that you never make use of, tupperware containers that live untouched in that cupboard, sporting equipment you are done with. And so on.

Better than throwing any of this stuff away, why not look for a person or a place that will make good use of it (preferably someone who might not have the opportunity to buy it for themselves). But only if it’s in decent condition – we need to learn to move away from a place that says it is okay to pass our junk on to someone else. Let’s give some good quality stuff away.

If gluttony is its own reward (and a really horrible ‘reward’ at that) then imagine what it might feel like to venture on to the other side. Let’s commit to pacing ourselves with food and spending and things. Choosing to enjoy what we have more and sharing what we can with those around us.

How about it? Any of you in? Share your stories in the comments below.