Article Eat Together, Do Less, and Connect More for the Holidays
Social Connection, Well-Being, and the Gift of Time: The Power of Sharing Food for Special Occasions
December 02, 2024
The holiday season can be stressful for many busy families, but a few simple tips can help you let go, enjoy festive food shared with the people you love, and embrace the gift of time.
Read on to learn how eating together, doing less, and making time to connect can set you free and make the holidays a healthier, happier season for you and your family.
Festive meals are special as much because of the people at the table as they are about the food shared.
From grandparents, parents, and grown-up siblings to our closest friends, chosen family, and neighbours, holidays gather loved ones we don’t get to see every day around some of our most cherished foods and recipes.
Commensality—the act of eating together1—is a timeless and universal social tool that connects people across generations, locations, and social groups. It threads together care, community, and culture to make meals emotionally satisfying.
Sharing food with good company is one of the strongest ways to create and strengthen social connection.
So, add the extra leaf to your dinner table and invite extended family home for the holidays. Travel to share a festive meal with loved ones you miss. Gather the onlies near you so no one you care for is lonely over a holiday meal for one.
Wherever and whatever you celebrate, put eat wholesome food with your favourite people at the top of your holiday to-do list, and share the gift of health through togetherness.
Do Less:
Give Yourself Permission to Simplify
Food has been the heart of holidays and celebrations for all of human history. And the special foods we feast on are often carriers of culture—tradition, story, and symbolism are infused into family recipes passed from generation to generation.
But while quantity, complexity, and extravagance are often the hallmark of festive meals, family food holidays don’t have to be expensive or a multi-course, all-day cooking and cleaning affair.
You can simplify without making your food celebration any less special. How? Trade one-upmanship for focus.
Instead of toiling over a dozen dishes, pick one (or two) of the most meaningful and rewarding for you. Make the beloved family dish your holiday celebration wouldn’t be the same without—then pare back the rest.
Fewer dishes don’t need to feel less indulgent or holiday-worthy than an over-the-top spread if you do it with thought and care.
Invest your energy and love the way your treasured family recipe deserves instead of spreading yourself thin.
If you have the means, elevate your can’t-go-without dish so it feels extra special. Splurge on the best ingredients you can afford—even if it’s just one. Splash out on better-than-everyday organic olive oil. Or get the really good single-origin dark chocolate (and sneak a nibble or two while you bake!).
Pay attention to details you don’t have time for when you’re trying to do everything else.
Or simply let yourself be present instead of pushing yourself to meet an exhausting standard.
Because doing less of the rest can help make what matters most to you and your family a true feast.
“But wait!” you say— “How can you do less if you need a lot of food to feed the crowd you’re hosting for the holidays?”
You don’t need to be the lone holiday hero who does it all—share the effort!
(And make sure everyone who’s able pitches in with the post-feast cleanup, too!)
Connect More:
Give the Gift of Time
Investing in your health so you have more to give is the greatest gift you can share with the people you love.
And the non-renewable resource of time is a close second.
For kids, young adults, grown-ups, and elders alike, social connectedness has a huge impact on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.5 By definition, social connection can never be a solo activity—it takes at least two people to make any relationship and to enjoy the real health benefits of caring for someone and feeling cared for in return.
That’s why spending time to connect with family and friends is as much about sharing the gift of health with others as it is an investment in your own self-care.
Sitting down to share a festive meal with family and friends is only one way to connect over the holidays.
Make time to bake seasonal treats with your kids or grandchildren. Pass along grandma’s pastry secrets by making a pie with your teen. Grocery shop with your bestie. Or cook a pre-holiday meal with your partner.
Whether the things you do together are special or mundane, include food or not, your time is the best holiday gift you can give—and you don’t even have to wrap it!
So, make room in the holiday bustle to connect with the people you love and invest in the relationships that feed your soul long after the season’s over.
Time, Food, and Health:
Top 9 Sustainably Wholesome Holiday Gift Ideas
In the spirit of eating together, doing less, and connecting more, we’ve gathered a list of simple, wholesomely non-commercial gifts to show the people you love how much you care, whatever holiday you celebrate.
Time
Gifts of time can mean doing things together, giving back in your community, being of service to others, or using your time to help someone use their time to do things they couldn’t do without a village.
Time-based gift ideas include:
Experiences
Volunteering
Childminding
Services
Food
Gifts of food can include cooking for someone, cooking together, or setting someone up to make a good meal they don’t have to plan or shop for themselves. Food gift ideas include:
You-made meals
Just-add-_________ kits
Family recipes and community cookbooks
Health
Gifts of health can be anything from facilitating a loved one’s pursuit of healthy activities to care packages for anyone from young adults studying out of town to friends who could stand a stress break.
Health gift ideas include:
