During the fall and winter holidays, the world seems a little sweeter and the air a little crisper. The days grow shorter and the desire for a warm cup of cocoa and someone to cuddle with beneath a soft blanket brings people indoors. However, inside the air can be filled with some unexpected things that can cause allergies to flare up. For your next holiday season, pay attention to how your celebrations may have a negative effect on your health. Prepare for possible allergies to food, air, and greenery that you may encounter during the season of celebration to keep it fun and healthy.
Cookies & Sauces
With family visiting and frequent trips to friends’ houses for parties, it’s possible that you may experience an upset stomach or more severe reaction due to a food allergy. The holidays tend to bring out many dishes that aren’t eaten during the rest of the year, as a special celebration. This exposes people to foods they may not even know they are allergic to or even foods cooked with or in items they know they can’t have. Some examples of food allergies are dairy, shellfish, peanuts, wheat, and eggs. The culprits can easily be hidden in some seemingly harmless dishes such as
- Stuffing
- Cookies
- Dressings
- Sauces
- Pies
- Casseroles
Always be upfront about your allergies even before the party so your hostess can make the necessary modifications.
Candles & Smoke
It’s no surprise that many people are sensitive to fragrance. When candles and other methods of filling the indoor air with festive smells are concentrated during the long winters months inside, this can be very uncomfortable to sensitive noses. As a guest, don’t feel bad about letting your hostess know how these things affect you. Often, people who enjoy filling their home with lovely smells don’t realize how hard it is on others.
Also, with the smoke from the fireplace and wood stove, your olfactory senses are on high intake. If this is a trigger for you, perhaps offer to host the celebrations. This way you can ensure chimney flues are clean and ready for a season of hearth and home without the breathing problems.
Mold & Sap
Along with digestion and breathing problems, come other unseen enemies. While the whole process of cutting down or merely selecting your own Christmas tree in the woods or the local tree farm seems idyllic in the scope of holiday fun, the truth is that there is much to take into consideration. Fresh trees carry pollen and mold spores. Also, tree sap can cause an allergic reaction. The holiday fun you are seeking could ultimately make you sick. Look into the other option of an artificial tree. You might be pleasantly surprised to find out what others think about them by checking out Balsam Hill reviews.
Of course, there are many other benefits of not using a live tree. You can put your tree up as early as you like and it won’t die. There is no pine needle mess when you put it up or take it down after the season is over. You can count on your perfect tree year after year and know exactly what it will look like to keep your Christmas visions the same each year. A beautiful Balsam Hill Christmas tree is a wonderful option to not only help alleviate those allergy nuisances but also provide a lovely focus for your home year after year.
There are enough stressors during the holiday season, don’t let allergies be something else you have to deal with. Enjoy your holidays by taking precautions ahead of time with watching out for food issues, being careful around fragrant smells and smoke, and choosing the healthy option of an artificial Christmas tree.