Princess’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays in Aspen
by Ali Berkley Margo
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I DID THE HOLIDAY PARTY CIRCUIT with reckless abandon. Day after day, night after night, I would attend one Aspen soiree after another, sometimes hitting two to three parties in one night. That was also back when I was still single and living on a diet of vodka and cigarettes, so staying thin over the holidays was never an issue because I obviously had my priorities straight. I was much more concerned with squeezing into the fabulous clothes I’d planned to wear than what I was going to put in my stomach. My trainer Bernadette would say, “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.” Amen.
Still, Aspen is the place to ski-and-be-seen over the holidays and our fabulous foodie scene is a force de rigueur that is amped up by all the catered parties and arsenal of chefs we have in our midst. Unless you are so vein and desperate to land a man you’re willing to sacrifice all the wonderful flavors Aspen has to offer, I suggest you don’t miss out. That doesn’t mean you have to indulge. It means you have to choose your battles carefully and make sure none of them involves missing out on all the great food.
That said, here’s the Princess’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays in Aspen:
- Eat a big lunch: For some reason, holiday parties often span the hours when you would normally want dinner, but with a cocktail party format. What that means is the booze-to-food ratio is a dangerous one that will leave you either stumbling around town looking to maintain your heavy buzz or at home rifling through the fridge for something greasy to eat. Because I got news for you—whatever they’re passing around on those little trays is not going to fill you up or absorb all the free drinks you’re kicking back. Load up at lunch with a protein rich meal and some good absorbent carbs like bread or rice and chances are you’ll remember how fun that party was the next day.
- Wear tight pants: That’s right, go tight. You’re a lot less likely to fill up on junk and fattening snacks if you’re wearing tight-fitting clothes. As soon as you let that belt out a hole or two, you’re asking for trouble. Even though it’s holiday season in Aspen, your belly is one thing that doesn’t need comfortable accommodations.
- Pick your poison: It wouldn’t be the holidays without a little indulgence. The key is to choose wisely. Don’t fill up on the run-of-the-mill cheese plate that you’ll stare down 100 more times before the year is over. Skip the cookie tray and the candied popcorn and the egg nog (which, in case you’ve been living in a cave, is obscenely high in calories). Save it for those special, unusual dishes—appetizers crafted with delicacies like caviar blinis or foie gas. You wouldn’t waste time having a one-night stand with a kook, and it’s the same thing with food: go for the worthwhile indulgence.
- Get a head start: Put that beer down! The drinks are free at Aspen holiday parties, silly. No need to get a head start on that buzz. What’s smarter is to put a little food in your gullet—preferably something healthy—to fill up on so you don’t gorge. You know how they say don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach? It’s the same thing, but it’ll save you calories instead of money.
- Earn your turns: Aspenites know the meaning of delayed gratification better than anyone when it comes to skiing and snowboarding. Apply the same attitude toward your holiday season and earn it! If you know you’ve got a big holiday party at night, be sure to get a nice hard workout in—the day before and the day after—to balance out your indulgences. I tell my students at Arjuna Yoga this all the time: “Detox to retox, baby!” That’s my mantra.
- Last but not least: Never show up to a house party empty-handed, don’t ever go to bed mad, and be the nicest to the person/relative you like the least this holiday season and see what happens. Merry Christmakah and Happy New Year to all my kitties out there, love you!
How do you survive the holidays? Tell us something we don’t already know. We beg you.
Ali Berkley Margo