Maintaining your balance (and your sanity) this holiday season
THE HOLIDAY SEASON: making a concerted effort to enjoy it while taking care of yourself.
Drawing by Priscilla Duggan
December around Larchmont has a certain magic: twinkly lights along the Boulevard, visits to the Christmas tree lot, and sightings of those neighbors seen only at this time of year. It’s also the month when our good intentions get stress-tested by cookie trays, travel delays, family drama, and a social calendar that seems to expand exponentially.
The first thing to remember about sticking to healthy habits is that it doesn’t mean clinging on to some rigid ideal. Health in its best form is flexible, like yoga. It’s not about perfection, but about staying connected to yourself and your community amid all the chaos.
Start with rhythm, not rules
Instead of so much focus on restrictions—no sugar, no carbs, no fun!—set a rhythm that keeps you grounded. This could look like a morning walk before the house wakes up or making sure every gathering includes at least one green thing on the table. Our bodies and minds thrive on consistency, not punishment. A brief daily ritual such as lighting a candle, stretching for five minutes, or simply stepping outside to breathe cold air can anchor you better than any detox plan.
Reclaim rest
as an act of care
Between errands, emails, and obligatory parties, rest can start to feel like laziness. But real rest is radical—it’s a quiet refusal to be consumed by the season’s productivity pressure. Take a nap when you can. Go to bed early sometimes. Let yourself watch a movie without multitasking. Remember that restoration isn’t the opposite of discipline; it’s what makes discipline sustainable.
Share the load
Lots of us try to take the holidays on as a solo project: cooking, gifting, hosting, coordinating. But health isn’t an individual sport; it’s communal. Invite people to help you cook or clean—even if it feels imperfect. Trade baked goods with neighbors. Let the kids decorate. Something subtle shifts when we collaborate: the season becomes less about impressing others and more about enjoying them. Eat joyfully, not anxiously. Food during the holidays is memory, tradition, and love—not a moral test. The healthiest relationship to food is one rooted in gratitude and pleasure. So eat the pie. But savor it slowly and with appreciation, perhaps for whoever taught you how to bake it.
Finally, as the year winds down, resist the urge to treat January like a reset button. You aren’t a problem to be fixed after the holidays—you’re a human being in the middle of them. Maybe real wellness isn’t about control at all, but connection: noticing what feels good, what feels too much, and what’s worth carrying with you into the new year. And if along the way we all start looking out for each other a little more, well, that might be the healthiest habit of all.
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