What do the holidays mean to you? Are they about connecting with family and loved ones? Are they about feeling loved? Are they about feeling special? Are they about connecting with your religious or spiritual beliefs? Are they about giving to others? Are they about connecting with your community?
When you’ve identified what values or needs the holidays serve in your life, then you can brainstorm about ways of meeting those needs without sugar. We often use sugar or food as a substitute, or a conduit – a way of meeting these needs in a simple manner. So we share a dessert as a way of fostering feelings of family togetherness; we have birthday cake as a way of celebrating our love for someone.
But we can find ways to foster these same good feelings…without the sugar.
Holidays are, primarily, about love. They’re about finding ways to connect with friends and loved ones, near and far. Removing sugar from the holidays doesn’t change this. You can still convey your love for your family members, even if you don’t contribute your typical Christmas baking. You can still feel others’ love for you, even if you don’t eat their Christmas baking. Find other ways to connect without the sugar, so that the richness of your holidays is amplified, not depleted.
– from Overcoming Sugar Addiction