Tip to avoid holiday weight gain: poison yourself on Christmas Eve.

It's still a guess as to whether I poisoned myself, if I had the stomach flu, or if it's all part of some strange twisted scheme in the universe to make sure I can't truly enjoy a holiday, but I started my Christmas Day at 3:00am, hoping Santa had filled my stocking with Pepto-Bismol.

Let's rewind a day...

Christmas Eve gets a little hectic, so I planned ahead and tossed some food in the crock pot so dinner would be ready when we needed it. So when mealtime came, I ate all my food, my children picked at their plates (as usual) and my husband also downed a fair portion.

Fast forward to Christmas morning, and I'm seeing my crock pot creation in a way no one wants to.

Ugh.

My husband, having ate his fill as well, also wasn't feeling the best, but he was managing better than I.

Of course we had grand plans of traveling on Christmas Day to my parents house. I have a strong will and was not about to let nature ruin another holiday for me.

Last  year, a state-wide blizzard kept everyone home on Christmas. Boo! Hiss! And my Thanksgiving travel plans a month ago also got whacked due to inclement weather. I was NOT about to let some pot roast ruin my Christmas!

So I showered, packed our van, and was determined to hold my digestive track hostage for two hours. With the lack of "rest stops" on the route to my parents, it would require a lot of prayer and a little Lamaze breathing to get me to our destination without the need to throw open the passenger door and dot the fresh, white snow with something a little less fresh. (My husband also noted that he has never driven that fast to my parents' house. God bless him.)

I made it, but as I swung open the door to my parents' home that smelled of ham, potatoes and all the fixings...I didn't even get out a "hello" before I dashed into the nearest restroom. (Sure glad they built one right off the entry!)

But here's the 'up' side to it all. The table spread with every delectable fudge, peanut cluster and candies galore that normally would have me salivating and filling my plate to excess...didn't appeal to me in the least.

I managed to escape this calorie-packed holiday weekend unscathed. I even managed to lose a couple pounds.

I have now developed a ferocious head cold so with no sense of smell, I still have little desire to eat.

So you could say it turned out to be the perfect holiday. I was able to spend it with my family, I didn't eat too much, and I don't feel the need to crank up my gym routine in order to drop the holiday weight.

I guess the biggest thanks goes to the farmer who blessed us with contaminated beef several months ago. Or, if it wasn't food poisoning, I should thank whoever shared their flu germs with me.

After all, Mary didn't let some intense labor pains keep her from traveling. If she can make the trek on a donkey, wind up in a smelly barn and still produce the Savior of the world, I should certainly be able to rejoice in my own circumstances!