Todays habit: Bake Christmas cookies!

For whenever youre feeling: Hungry; in need of a last-minute gift for a loved one.

What it is: Its December and that means all our good intentions to stay healthy have been flung far, far out the window, and were more than OK with that. In lieu of kale, were eating delicious Christmas cookies , and were not talking about store-bought ones (although those are yummy, too). No, were talking about homebaked cookies; the kind you eat as soon as you take them out of the oven, burned tongue be damned.

Good news: there are so many easy Christmas cookie recipes that you can make, which is great when you eat a dozen a day. (Not that weve ever done that ...)

So, grab your mixing bowls and all the gingerbread you want, because were challenging you to make holiday cookies today.

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How it can help: Besides filling up your stomach with delicious sugar, butter, and royal icing, baking has many benefits that soothe the soul and the mind.

1. It makes you less stressed

Unless you start a fire in your oven, baking Christmas cookies (well, baking anything, really) lessens feelings of stress by forcing you to focus on the task at hand. Basically, youre being mindful while measuring out your ingredients or kneading dough, which, studies show, can decrease symptoms of anxiety .

And personally, I find that punching dough and watching the stand mixer whip butter and sugar together very soothing and satisfying.

2. Your homemade cookies are definitely healthier than store-bought

Not that it should be about counting the sugar content, but making your own cookies allows you to decide how much of the sweet and fatty stuff should go into the recipe .

Unlike store-bought cookies, which can contain highly refined flours, sweeteners, heavily processed oils , and additives, a homemade batch can have substitutes such as whole wheat flour, honey instead of sugar, and coconut oil instead of butter.

Its all up to you though, so if you want to add all the butter and sugar your tummy desires, go forth.