âTis the season to do all those traditions youâve grown up loving, or loving to hate. The holiday season is about love, and food, and celebrating the same ways each year. You donât want to have to make up all new traditions when you turn to keto. This year, celebrate your Christmas traditions keto style!
I read an article recently on the top Christmas traditions in the United States. Seeing as we are in Canada and very similar, the traditions were pretty much the same. Here are the top traditions celebrated.
Decorating Christmas Traditions
The top tradition in this category is setting up the Christmas tree. When I was young, we did the entire tree celebration. We went up into our woods and found a Christmas tree. Dad would chop it down. Weâd bring it home and he would drill holes in it to change the branches around and make it as perfect as possible. We would decorate the tree while listening to Christmas music. Dad put the angel on top of the tree and then direct us if we had the same colored ornaments too close together.
Itâs a beautiful memory, but also it was a lot of work. The lazier me bought a pre-lit fake tree and we set it up each year. We decorate it with ornaments that will not break. Then we tie it to the wall, because at least one cat will try to climb it! Itâs not as traditional, but it is a lot of fun.
The next tradition is setting up decorations in your home and yard. We have decorations that mean something to us. They arenât fancy, but they are passed down through the family. What we donât do, which is next on the list, is hang mistletoe. Although, now that youâre keto and looking good, you may want to have an excuse for a little kissing time.
Giving Christmas Traditions
One Christmas tradition is giving cards. I like to send cards to family and friends each year. I also give cards to my coworkers and staff at work. It’s nice to write special little messages of appreciation to them. Itâs just a nice way to say I enjoy them all year round.
Of course, the most popular tradition is exchanging gifts. For the last several years, Bill and I have made a donation to a local charity instead of giving gifts to our extended family. We send a card (see above) to the family members to let them know where we donated. It just seems more âChristmas-yâ than to give each other gifts we donât need. We arenât angels though – we buy gifts for each other and our immediate family. We do enjoy opening presents!
Fun At Christmas
Another Christmas tradition listed is watching Christmas movies. Iâm not a huge movie fan, but Bill and our daughter usually insist that I follow this one. Every year, we watch Elf, Home Alone, and National Lampoonâs Christmas Vacation. I protest every year, and every year I find myself enjoying it.
The next tradition is one I am more than happy I avoided – hiding elf on a shelf. I can only imagine waking up in the middle of the night and realizing I forgot to hide the damn thing. Luckily, our daughter was grown when this horrible fad started!
Listening to Christmas music is another tradition listed. I recently asked my mother how she was enjoying her first Christmas in an apartment complex. She told me she was already sick of Christmas music! Same. I sound like a grinch, and honestly, I like Christmas music – but only twice a year. Once when we are decorating the tree and once when we are opening presents. Thatâs it. No need for your input, Walmart on November 1st.
Food Christmas Traditions
This is where the list gets tricky for keto people. Food is an essential part of Christmas, but no one said the food couldnât be keto friendly! One of the traditions listed is baking Christmas cookies. But, you donât have to give this up. There are plenty of keto-friendly cookie recipes. We have chocolate chip cookies and âJust Like Sugarâ cookies that are favourites any time of year.
The final Christmas tradition on the list is having Christmas dinner. I just did an entire blog on making Christmas dinner keto. There are lots of options for appetizers, sides, and desserts that wonât put you over your carb count. Your guests wonât even notice that there are no potatoes or stuffing with all the amazing options youâll have for them!
Wendy
