Like you, Christmas is a "season" for me, not just one day. Also, it is my absolutely FAVORITE time of year, so I plan to enjoy it, and a big part of that enjoyment for me is the food. My plan is as follows:
1) I'll eat those treats I LOVE but forego the ones I just like. For instance, I LOVE stuffing, so I plan to have some on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I just "like" candied yams, so I'll prepare & eat my yam plain. I LOVE pecan pie, but I just like butter cookies, so I'll save my calories for the former & forego the latter. You get the picture.
2) I plan to be on maintenance calories throughout the season. I'm actually okay with the way I look now; if I lose more, fine, and if I don't, fine. But even if I wanted to lose more, I would put it off for the holidays. My holiday goal is to maintain. I know many would not agree with that, but the holidays only come once a year, and it's worth it to me to give myself permission to maintain during this time of year.
3) I calorie cycle, and I save calories for when I know a special event is coming up. So, on most regular days during the holidays, I won't be indulging in a cookie at night with my espresso. I'll forego the cream in my coffee half the time (I like black coffee, too
). These little changes and others like them will result in a 200 or so calorie deficit each day, and I'll "bank" those (to use an old WW term) for the days when I need them. This is what worked for me this summer.
4) I plan to be consistent with my exercise. This hasn't really been a problem for me this time around, but I'm going to be especially diligent during the holidays.
5) Finally, I'm going to indulge in treats that still seem "holiday-ish" without breaking the calorie bank---e.g., Tazo organic Chai tea with a dash of cream and sugar (this smells like the holidays), some rich homemade hot cocoa (less than 200 calories), a nightcap of just 1/4 cup of egg nog and a dash of rum (again, less than 200 calorie). These are are Christmas treats that are relatively low in calories.