Holiday festivities don’t have to be a time to let your health and weight get out of hand. You can use a little planning and stay well in control whilst enjoying the celebrations. Each festivity is also an opportunity for you to leave a lasting gift and make a great impression through the gift of listening.

1. Plan to eat healthy. Don’t over indulge. You may find yourself at many functions and celebrations leading up to Christmas. Make a firm decision to eat small portions only and leave the rest. Avoid the bread roll and leave out the cheese. Don’t nibble on the snacks handed around and drink lots of water. If you find it difficult to limit your portions at functions before you leave home make yourself a fresh fruit shake. Throw a banana, apple, pear, and whatever other fruit you have in a blender. A large glass or two will certainly fill you and get rid of those hunger pains that keep you eating everything in sight over the night. It’s a super tip that’s always worked for me. If you don’t want to put on the pounds this could be your answer!

2. Limit your alcohol. Make a pact with yourself that you drink one drink per hour maximum. Sit on it and sip it slowly. When you have finished fill your wine glass with water. No one will know the difference. You’ll stay in control and be feeling and looking great! Plus two added bonuses – you’ll keep your weight down by not over indulging in alcoholic drinks (most are filled with sugar which stacks on the weight) and you’ll be able to drive home safely showing great responsibility by not putting yourself or anyone else at risk.

3. Stop talking about you and listen. Most people will love you if you get them to talk about themselves and you do the listening. If you are shy remember that shyness is mostly about being stuck in your own head thinking too much about yourself and what you think others may be thinking of you. This can also be misinterpreted as rudeness or arrogance. Most people are not thinking about you they are thinking about themselves. Show the good Christmas spirit and go introduce yourself. A tip here is to ask lots of questions. This is a secret to getting people to open up and like you. If they are doing most of the talking you have a good chance of them liking you. You’ll also leave a great impression because you made them feel special by letting them do all the talking.

Make these your secret tools for Christmas success and you can't go wrong!

Visit http://www.HoHoHoChristmas.com for tips and tools for reviving the fun, magic and real meaning of Christmas every day of the year. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-course with audio on how to enrich your Christmas experience today from The HoHoHo Expert, Bernadette Dimitrov, author of The HoHoHo Factor!