The SpecialMoms Parenting Magazine 4th Issue | Page 30

Surviving
the Holidays
with Food Allergies

G

rowing up, I was giddy with excitement
anticipating the holidays. Getting to
see my extended family, exchanging
gifts, chopping down our Christmas
tree, decorating the house, driving around town to
see the twinkling lights while drinking hot chocolate, and Christmas music are a few of the factors
that played into my excitement. However, the list
wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the incredible food that filled the house with aromas so
sweet you could practically taste it in the air.

felt like I was navigating through mine fields. And
the amount of baking and cooking that I had to
do, so that my little men could participate, was astronomical. Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook
and bake. But I went from whipping up a couple
batches of cookies and a few side dishes to share,
to preparing an entire Thanksgiving & Christmas
dinner free of the top 8 allergens (dairy, egg, soy,
wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish).
It’s been 4 years since that first Thanksgiving and
I can finally say that my excitement for the holiday season has returned. No, my little men haven’t
outgrown their allergies. Well we did out grow soy,
but that’s not the reason. So what’s the secret? It’s
no secret at all, actually. I’ve just allowed all of my
childhood holiday traditions to morph together
with the needs of my little men to become our new
allergy-friendly holiday traditions. Isn’t that often
what’s holding us back? We cling to the old t Ʌ