When I finished my therapy treatment in December 2020, I headed in to the Christmas Season with only my Top Ten Takeaways and a commitment to getting better. I was in the Cayman Islands, just like I am now, and this is what that first Christmas looked like:
None of this was about food rules.
- I caught and cooked my first Tuna
- I ate whatever I wanted, sticking to 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day
- I joined the Lions International Christmas Day parade, dressing up as Mrs Claus and delivering gifts to the children around the island
- I spent time in nature
- I joined in with ‘Merrioke’
- I attended the government Christmas Luncheon
- I prepared gifts
- I went to Little Cayman and did kayaking
- I read books and watched Bridgerton
- I took an online writing course.
It’s taken me five years to realise that only two of my ten takeaways had anything to do with food or eating. Maybe that’s how I got through one of the hardest seasons of the year – by focusing more on life and living than food and eating.
I’ve taken that mindset through subsequent Christmases and felt empowered to write my own Christmas story each year; whether that was putting on my cabin crew uniform to welcome children on their Christmas Day flight to Orlando, or celebrating my first Christmas in my own home, I’ve focused on enjoying the experience, rather than overthinking the food.
This year is my nephew’s first Christmas and that means there’s lots to enjoy!
Takeaway: There’s more to Christmas than food and eating; every year is an opportunity to write a story that nourishes the mind, body and spirit.