’Tis the Season
The holidays are a time for festivity, fun — and extravagance.
While some of this is much needed (especially after the year we’ve had … oy) sometimes it can result in some not-so-good regret. I’m all for an extra drink at the office Christmas party, pie for Thanksgiving, and cookies for Santa, but that can easily be corrupted into pie for your breakfast, eggnog in your cereal, and hot toddies before noon.
While there are times to indulge, many of us (me included) use the holidays as a two-month-long binge, both on our diets and pocketbooks. This is pretty much expected, but why we tend to go overboard during the holidays can be explained in some studies on both eating patterns and spending habits.
First, answering why we tend to eat more during the holiday season seems easy: There’s just more food around. Starting with Thanksgiving, fridges are loaded with leftover turkey, stuffing, and dessert, followed by holiday parties where overdrinking and overeating is encouraged. Then there are the signature holiday cookies, gift baskets, and seasonal candies.
This surplus comes at a time when, biologically, we as humans may be triggered to start stockpiling calories for the long winter ahead. According to a 1991 study looking at the eating habits of 315 adults, food intake increases by around 200 calories per day when days get shorter in the winter. While some scientists dispute that this instinct is innate within all of us, several studies show the average weight gain during the holidays is about a pound, and five pounds for overweight people.
The same rationale can be applied to spending during the holidays. At a time when people are expected to shell out gifts for multiple people in their lives, it’s no wonder that Americans spent an average $800 per person during the holiday season last year, according to the National Retail Federation. But, looking deeper at the statistics, more than half of holiday shoppers splurged on non-gift items during that time — for themselves.
Researchers have found that people who think willpower is limited — or that you only have so much in a day — tend to reward themselves more than people who think it’s unlimited. So, for example, they might reward themselves with a new scarf while holiday shopping, just because they resisted cookies in the afternoon.
These are just some few ideas as to why the holiday season invites extremes. While it is a season for celebrating, you — and your pocketbook — might feel better in January if you try to moderate that holiday cheer.
