WARREN HAYDEN: '˜Tis the season to be fat and greedy

One sip of tea with milk and no sugar is always followed by a bite into the Christmas treat.

The excuse we’re all using to over-indulge in the run-up to the big day is ‘it’s Christmas’.

It’s also the time of year when you gaze into the fridge or the cupboard wondering what to snack on when your stomach is rumbling.

But we all know that in December a question must be asked before any of that food makes its way into your mouth. ‘Can I eat this or is it for Christmas?’

Usually the mouthwatering piece of food I have my eye on is being put aside for the big day, so I have to choose something less interesting.

But I must be careful. I’m not one of those annoying naturally slim people, like my partner Serena, who seems to be able to eat what she likes and doesn’t put on any weight.

It feels like I simply need to look lovingly at a cake topped with fresh cream and a cherry in the window of a bakery and I instantly add a few pounds.

But at this time of year it is almost impossible to stick to a totally healthy and treat-free diet.

I don’t mind admitting that eating good food is one of my favourite things. In fact, when my daughters asked what gift I would like for Christmas this year it didn’t take me more than a second to blurt out ‘a large Dairy Milk Whole Nut’, my favourite chocolate bar and the same gift I request every Christmas, birthday and on Father’s Day too.

But what would Christmas be without a table full of dry-roasted peanuts, a chocolate biscuit selection and a tray of cold meats with stuffing on the side? Well, in my opinion, not fun.

I accept I will over-indulge and consume lots of scrumptious, appetising and sometimes sugar-coated food this Christmas. It’s inevitable, unavoidable and inescapable.

But the good news is, come January, when only the boring chocolates are left in the tin and the cold meat is on the turn, I’ll have two daughters to help me get back into shape.

When they ask the question that gets directed at me on most days – ‘can we go to the park?’ – it’ll be in my best interests to say yes.

While I’m there it’s probably best I join my girls on the monkey bars and the swings. Well, those calories won’t get rid of themselves.

From my family and me, we wish you a very happy Christmas.