It got me thinking about all the advertising that is coming up in full swing for this time of year, all those commercials aimed at losing the weight that is inevitably gained while scarfing down mega portions of turkey, stuffing, breads, pies, and cakes; and I realized something important: this never happens to me anymore.

I don’t say this because I have a magic technique on avoiding temptation; no, I say this because since I’ve discovered size acceptance and the Heath at Every Size movements, I’ve given myself license to eat tasty food, regardless of the time of year.

It seems that many people divide foods into categories like good and bad, assigning a moral value to nutrition that should never exist. I mean, if you are allergic to peanuts then perhaps fork-pressed peanut butter cookies (one of my favorites) would be bad for you to eat, but that doesn’t make the food item inherently evil.

The holiday season—whatever holidays you celebrate or not—is full of people making claims of being bad, just by having that second helping of mashed potatoes and stuffing, or by eating both ice cream and pie after dinner. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve witnessed people either:

1. turning down treats like cake or pie because they are on a diet and trying to be good; or
2. accepting those treats with a devilish grin and a sly “Oh I’m being so bad” attitude.

If there is one rule about eating, it should be this: food is neither good nor bad; food is just food. People are not good or bad for eating certain foods; they are just people eating foods.

Because I no long subscribe to good/bad way of thinking, it bothers me more and more every year when Christmas rolls around and I’m faced with friends and family members feasting on pizzelle and chrusciki like there’s no tomorrow, because it’s the only time of year they will allow themselves the luxury. So of course when January 2nd rolls around, they step on their bathroom scales and are amazed and guilt-ridden to learn that they’ve gained 5 (or 10 or 25 or more) pounds since Thanksgiving.

My own eating habits from my birthday through New Year’s Day stay fairly consistent with my habits throughout the rest of the year. I do not binge on holiday treats; it’s not the only time of year that I allow myself that piece of chocolate cake. I rarely stray from my revolutionary diet system, i.e. I eat when I am hungry and I stop eating when I am full.

Therefore, when the kids are back in school after winter break, and all the Mummers are quietly back in their clubhouses on 2nd Street, I never feel guilt-ridden over anything I may have eaten, and I’m not struggling to come to terms with any dietary restrictions for the coming new year.

My only food concern for this coming holiday season? That I’ll have enough time to bake enough pumpkin brownies for everyone I love, and that they will enjoy and appreciate my efforts, instead of chiding me for leading them into temptation.