It’s the most wonderful time of year. Really, it is. I love Christmas time. I love December. I love winter. I love it all.

Now, you can go all Scrooge and bah-humbug and “I hate snow” on me, or you can get over it and allow me to bask in my favorite time of year, please. Good? Thanks.

Here is one thing though that I do request. Please stop giving me Christmas cookies as gifts. I feel bad that I have to say this, but I’m going for it. I am a disciplined person, for the most part, and I really don’t eat a ton of sweets on a regular basis. This stays the same for me throughout December. Just because chocolate fudge abounds and cookies in the shapes of snowflakes are everywhere doesn’t mean that I eat them nor do I want to eat them, nor do they make great gifts for me, nor do I think that because it is December that this gives me a license to somehow change my diet. Wow, that’s a lot of nors.

It is really funny what happens when you lose weight and live a disciplined life of eating healthy. People come out of nowhere telling you that you should have everything in moderation (as they stuff their faces with their 12th cookie of the day). I grin and thank them for that piece of advice and then continue to live my life very happily eating in moderation lots of veggies, fruits, eggs, bacon, meat galore, potatoes and even once or twice a week some ice cream.

So, thanks for the cookies this time of year, but no thanks. Instead, I like Starbucks coffee, black and dark – that will do just fine.