Here's a great post from guest blogger, Robyn Wright, about staying healthy this holiday. We all know that feeling of wanting to keep sneezy visitors away, but when that's not possible, check out her 5-step plan for staying healthy this season!

Don’t Sneeze on My Holiday Cheer

It seems like every year around the holidays, one of my relatives gets the flu.  And you know what I want to tell them? “STAY OUT OF MY HOUSE!”  The reality though is that quarantining loved ones or closing my home to them is not an option – especially during the holidays. (And trust me – crazy Aunt Judy or my in laws will find a way to get in no matter what I do.)

Another, ahem, “germy” issue over the holidays is my 15-year-old son, Taylor. Don’t get me wrong, I love my son dearly, but he’s not quite at the stage in his life where hygiene is what I would call a priority, and I would have to say the same is true of his friends, who spend a ton of time here when they are off school for holiday break, treading in all types of germs. Here is what goes down in my home over the holidays, what I like to call…

The Germy Family Chain:

• Taylor invites his friend Josh for a sleepover.


• Josh, who happens to be a very polite boy, sneezes into his hand the second he walks into my home.


• Josh uses that same hand to greet my Hubby.


• Hubby heads to the couch and picks up the remote (you guessed it…with the hand he used to shake Josh’s) to watch one of his military history shows.


• My brother, who happens to be in town visiting, comes into the living room. He decides he does not want to watch history shows. He picks up the remote and puts on anything sports.


• Five minutes later, Taylor comes in and tells me Josh is going home. He’s not feeling well.

So this year I have a game plan! I am sick – no pun intended – of people sneezing all over my holiday cheer.  After doing a little research, I crafted a cold and flu prevention plan for myself, my family and unwelcome visitors.

While I make no guarantees, my hope is that we are victorious in the end.

My five-step plan to helping prevent colds and flu this holiday season is:

1.       Vaccination. Your ticket into my home during the holidays is a flu vaccination! It’s the first step to flu prevention. Everyone should get vaccinated, including Aunt Judy and those in laws.

2.       The “Elbow Cough.” I’m a hugger and certainly over the holidays. But no one gets a hug from me unless they use proper cold and flu etiquette. To help reduce the spread of germs through touch, remember to cough into your elbows, not your hands. Umm, Dad please try to observe this more and quit using that icky old handkerchief – ick!

3.       Better Hand Washing. Turns out the adults in my life need hand washing reward charts, too. Don’t forget to wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you cough or sneeze. I find that having a soap dispenser of liquid soap out makes them more likely to use it than leaving those cute shaped soaps out. Also change the hand towels often.

4.       Disinfecting Germ “Hot Spots.” Remote control alert! With all the visitors coming over, your home can turn into a germy mess. Disinfect hard and frequently touched surfaces in your home, such as doorknobs, remotes, faucets, and light switches.

5.       Healthy Habits. Lastly, keep in mind a few of your favorite things! Even during the holidays, it’s important to eat right, exercise and get plenty of sleep.  Don’t over-extend yourself either, learn to say no thank-you to some of the invitations or requests for volunteers during the season.

Happy Holidays, everyone!