New Christmas Outlook

Well it is just a few days until Christmas. Now that there is just Jackie and myself here in the house, Christmas is not the same. Jackie still loves to listen to Christmas music, and we put up a tree and decorate the house inside at least. But there are no kids at home anymore to add to the excitement. 

Because some of our girls live out of  state we just send them money as we have no idea what they want and feel our daughters know best what to get with the money for their families. It is not as much fun as going out and getting presents and wrapping them to put under the tree, but as we are getting older it is much easier. 

This year for the first time in our married life Jackie is not baking cookies and other treats as neither of us can have them, me for sure after my WLS and Jackie has elected to not have things like that around the house to temp either one of us. I usually get a good box of chocolates for Christmas. That is the only time of year that I got stuff like that, but this year I will not be doing that and don’t plan on doing it for the rest of my life. To be honest, I miss the smells and eating the cookies and things. It is hard to realize I will never be able to eat as much of that stuff as I used to do, but that is exactly why I always gained weight during the holiday season. I always told myself “Oh well it is only during this time of year and I am going on a diet after the first of the year. May as well enjoy the stuff, I am not going to live forever and I deserve it”. Yah right, that is what I said for every conceivable celebration, my birthday, anniversary, other peoples birthdays, other holidays, even ones I made up. Added up all year long and that was a lot of just letting myself go and thinking I would make it up someday. 

I miss the stuff but have some things that I really like better. Jackie and I can not buy Christmas presents without talking to each other about what we want. At our age we are lucky enough if there is something we want we just buy it for ourselves. Within reason that is. Normally we tell each other what we are going to buy, but if either one of us wants something we do it. Well Christmas is about the same. There is not really much we want and sometimes have to think of something to tell each other we want for Christmas. These days for me it is new clothes. As I am much smaller than I was and much of what I have is way, way, way to big now. Jackie took me out Christmas clothes shopping a little while ago and I got some real neat things for my Christmas presents. Being able to have new cool clothes and look good in them is much better than eating all that sweet stuff for Christmas I used to have. Of course Jackie took it all away and will not let me have it until Santa brings it Christmas morning but that is fun to look forward to as well. I did the same for her. She picked out several new things she likes and Santa will give her that stuff Christmas morning.

So yes, I miss the cookies, candy, and other Christmas treats around the house but I really love the fact that I can now have other things that I enjoy just as much and I don’t have to tell myself that it is OK and I am going on a diet after the first of the year. Now I am thin and loving it. Eating all that stuff is no longer worth it to me.