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18 ARCHBOLD
MEDICAL CENTER
WHATEVER YOUR
winter holiday
celebration, chances are you’ll be bright-
ening the days with lots of lights, food and
good cheer. Help keep those times festive
and fun with these suggestions for a safe
and healthy season.
Around your hearth
From Yule logs to Hanukkah candles,
from oil lamps to luminarias, fire lights up
many winter celebrations. To safely enjoy
the glow:
Decorate with candles wisely.
Place
them where drafts, children or pets
can’t topple them—and well away from
anything flammable (like curtains). Stow
matches where kids can’t find them.
Man the lights.
Turn decorative lights
off whenever you aren’t home and
before going to bed each night. An
electrical short in a string of bulbs could
start a fire.
De-clutter the fireplace.
If you open
gifts near a fireplace, clean up after
you’re done. Paper, ribbons, bags and
bows can ignite near a flame.
Around your table
What’s a holiday without delicious (and
often fattening) food? Mind your family’s
waistlines by serving plenty of fruits and
vegetables along with smaller portions
of traditional treats.
Also, reduce the risk that an unwanted
guest—food poisoning—will visit after
you’ve cooked and served that fabulous
fare:
•
Make sure kitchen helpers wash their
Baskets of joy
GIVE HEALTHY GOODS
Happy holidays can begin with gifts
that encourage your favorite people to
live healthier year-round.
Help your loved ones exercise and
eat in healthful ways with these gift
ideas.
Get kids movin’ and groovin’
Give kids a soccer ball, football, jump
rope, boomerang or flying disc, and
watch the family fun and fitness begin.
Include a CD of upbeat music to play
in the background.
Help adults get fit
Grown-ups may enjoy using a pe-
dometer or a watch with a heart rate
monitor. A drop-in gift card for an
exercise class at a local health club
may encourage interest in a new
activity. Help outfit workouts with free
weights, a stability ball, a jump rope,
resistance bands or workout clothing.
Serve up good health
Treat a foodie friend to a selection of
fresh fruit, unsalted nuts or gourmet
teas. Include a healthy foods cook-
book or your favorite low-fat recipes.
Prepare a healthy soup mix in a nice
mason jar. Or give a gift certificate for
a healthy cooking class.
Beat back stress
Help melt away someone’s holiday
stress with candles, soaps, bubble bath
or a soothing music selection. Offer to
help with child care or housekeeping.
To top it off, give the best gift of
all—your time. Make up a coupon for
a walk, run, bike ride or healthy meal
to enjoy together.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The holidays
MAKE THEM MERRY, HEALTHY AND SAFE