Here we are in the tail end of the year, with the major feasting days receding behind us in a haze of high-fat, low-health delights. I am displeased to report that my restraint and overall healthy choice focus was wildly unsuccessful, though I was sure that I had been diligent. The extra weight around my flabby middle says otherwise.
But enough about that. There was a positive outcome from this eating season. I came up with a new plan to ensure that the holiday season lives up to my dinner expectations.
You see, gathering with friends and family to eat puts one in a complicated situation. The complexities of social interaction and interpersonal drama make the mealtime experience a balancing act of a host of different desires and preferences. In this maelstrom, your own food preferences can get left to the wayside.
You know what you consider a delicious holiday meal. But at a large gathering, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get everything you want in the right amount. And you probably won’t have a chance to eat the food at a leisurely pace, with all the jostling for portions and interrupting conversation.
Solution? Make a preemptive festive meal for yourself! You can call it “The Pre-Christmas selfish Feast!”. Prepare all of the dishes that signify a holiday feast to you, and enjoy those festive delights at your own speed, in the comfort of your own home. And for the rest of the holiday season, you can relax. No matter what you’re served, or in what conditions you eat what you’re served, you have a foundation of deliciousness to keep you in a good mood throughout the yuletide.
As an added bonus, when you cook and eat the meal in your own home, you have a much better chance of maintaining portion control and making healthier choices in general.
Disclaimer: If you’re like me, though, the real calorie demon will be the long stretches of holiday idleness filled with various snacks and bonbons. The preemptive meal will do nothing to help that. Plan ahead and keep those treats out of the house.
Chris Loblaw, Author 
In just over 350 words, you created an argument worth reading twice in support of Christmas double-dinner. I raise a drum stick to you, sir! Make that two.
I would return your toast, sir, but I have already eaten my turkey drumsticks. But huzzah to the Christmas double-dinner! (a much nicer title than ‘selfish feast’)