The Holidays are Almost Here - Holiday Grooming Guide

Are you feeling a little unkempt or lazy as the summer slowly heats up and winds down?  Making plans already for this year's holiday festivities?  

 

Wondering how you are going get yourself tidied up in time for your annual season’s greetings mailer card?  

 

Well, the holiday season is right around the corner, and even though we might just pack on some extra Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner pounds, we still want to find cheap and easy ways to stay looking our best for those holiday family and friend photos. 

 

But how can we do this without breaking the bank or borrowing too much time?

Keep Your Body Beach Ready

Just because summer is over, doesn't mean our beach body has to go, too.  We tend to forget what we look like in the buff during the holiday season, the long-sleeve shirts, pants, and sweaters do much more than just keep us warm in cooling holiday weather, hiding the extra pounds that we steadily put on.  

 

Keep as active before and after the holiday season as you would be during the summer, to ensure that those extra pounds stay on the plate, and not on your hips or stomach.  

 

An hour of some type of leisure activity – walking the dog around the neighborhood, playing with your kids, jump roping – everyday (even a few times throughout the day) will keep you active, your metabolism running strong, and those holiday pounds away.

 

Organize a Pre- and Post- holiday Meal Plan

There are a few days during the holiday season – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Chanukah – on which you already know you will be too busy stuffing your face to think about calorie counting or exercise.  

 

And it's okay to have these few cheat days.  However, plan out how and what you will be eating around these holidays to ensure that you don't pack on any extra weight that you wouldn't be able to lose.  

 

This will strengthen your will power, keep you trim, and help you looking nicely groomed for those holiday photos.

 

Plan out a New Autumn/winter Wardrobe

The changing seasons calls for a changing wardrobe.  You can't attend the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners wearing the same bathing suit or short shorts that you wore to the beach.  

 

Pick up some nice fall and winter clothes that flatter your figure and show off the beach body you worked so hard to get during the summer.  This will also keep you feeling fit and will be a constant reminder to keep taking care of your figure.

 

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

As the weather changes, keep your skin healthy and moisturized.  During the summer, the heat makes us sweat (annoying for some) and actually functions as a natural moisturizer for our skin.  We may look oily or greasy with the sweat dripping off our noses, but nonetheless, our skin is happiest and healthiest when it is the most hydrated.  

 

When autumn and winter kick in and the weather cools, we lose that summer time glow and our skin is much more vulnerable to drying out and cracking, which can even make you appear older.  

 

Because the colder weather dries out our skin, take slightly fewer showers so you don't exacerbate the drying of your skin.  And keep moisturized, this will keep you looking young and glowing for the Christmas day photos.

 

Trim off all the Loose and Dead Ends

And we're not talking just about hair.  The heat of the summer and all that exposure to the sun can take its toll on our hair.  Get those dead ends trimmed off for a refreshed, new looking hair do.  

 

Moreover, get some work done on those fingernails and toenails.  

 

Wearing flip flops throughout the summer also takes its toll on your feet, and they can become dry and cracked.  Getting a good manicure and pedicure not only makes you feel refreshed, but it also makes you look refreshed and renewed. 

Byline:

Carol Montrose writes for Christmas Music, your comprehensive resource for the best in holiday music.