I so understand the anxiety over the holiday season. I don't know how many times I was in a good cycle, eating well and exercising and then November and December would come and I would start a bad cycle. I think of these issues as cycles -
Eat healthy > Exercise > No Cravings > Feel Good > Lose Weight > Eat healthy > Exercise > No Cravings > Feel Good > Lose Weight > and so on ....... upward spiral
Or
Eat Sugar and other junk > No Exercise > Cravings > Feel Terrible > Gain Weight > Eat Sugar and other junk > No Exercise > Cravings > Feel Terrible > Gain Weight > and so on ....... downward spiral
In this explanation "upward" and "downward" is not describing my weight but my general health and well being. I have decided that I want to keep the good upward spiral going this coming holiday season. Therefore, I will continue to eat healthy and avoid sugar. Sugar always seems to be the start of a bad spiral. A few treats during the holidays is just not worth the cost of starting a bad spiral and having to stop it. If I can even stop it, that is, which is my greatest fear.
I can take my own food to most events but when I don't feel comfortable doing that, I will eat before I go.
The only cookies that I will make will be my father's fruit cake cookies. This is a tradition that I can not give up. For the first 40 years of my life, my aunt made them for my father and I saw how much he looked forward to and enjoyed them. When she passed away, DH and I started making them for DF. I can resist fruit cake cookies anyway.
I won't try to stop my family from having other cookies and treats. They love the cookie dough you can buy and bake. Funny thing is, I usually do not have a problem resisting as long as I do not eat one bite but one bite starts me craving more. I am never satisfied so why even start?