When it comes to holiday parties, willpower is a non-starter because it’s just about impossible to attend one without stuffing your face constantly. To avoid gaining weight, your choices are to stay home or try to stick to relatively low-calorie options. Sometimes you find yourself at events stocked only with belly-busters, but you’ve got more control when you’re hosting or contributing to the spread.

In a 2008 post, Gomestic recommends some low-calorie party foods that just might get you into 2012 without any excess baggage:

* Mini cupcakes. Use baking pans that create smaller cupcakes and you won’t feel so bad when you’re on your third, because you will have only eaten the equivalent of one.

* Homemade pita chips. Rather than putting out bowls of potato or tortilla chips, just buy some pitas, slice them up and toast them. Sure, they won’t be as tasty, but it doesn’t really matter because chips are just conduits for dip anyway.

*Flavored ice. Instead of going with ice cream, stick to snow cones, which will scratch the same frozen treat itch without the big-ticket calories.

Low Calorie Party Food [Gomestic]

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