12 days of Christmas survival tips

Indulge less, or at least mindfully, keep moving, take on water, kip longer, pack condoms, watch your budget, listen, cover up and stay off the kids' pressies.

Massey University experts have released their 12 days of Christmas summer survival tips to help everyone stay sane, healthy and, at the very least, alive this festive season.

Assistant lecturer in sport psychology Warrick Wood's top tip was to keep moving. Exercise helped with mood, increased energy and was a fun way to hang with friends and family, he said.

"Find fun ways to get your heart rate up - exercise shouldn't be boring. Play backyard cricket, get out in the garden, head down to the beach. If you do something you enjoy, you're much more likely to maintain that behaviour throughout the holiday period."

And, to help keep the kilos off, go easy on the kai.

Nutrition and dietetic centre dietitian Miriam Mullard said on average people gained between one and two-and-a-half kilograms over the silly season.

Healthy choices - such as starting each day with a healthy breakfast of wholegrain cereals or breads - kept hunger pangs at bay for the first half of the day. Five a day could be helped by lashings of seasonal fruit.

It was easy to overindulge at Christmas, but little tricks could help, she said.

"If possible, keep treats out of sight, and have healthy options on hand to keep temptation at bay. Try a handful of unsalted nuts, dried fruit, plain popcorn, wholegrain crackers or pretzels."

As for pouring down the throat, the message was less and more. Less booze, more water. And if you must indulge, make sure you're on the solids as well.

Professor of Public Health and Social Research, Sally Casswell, said the time had come to celebrate Christmas without a hangover.

"Why do we live in a country where hangovers are so ordinary, even funny. Where radio hosts and companies use them in advertising? Hangovers are a sign that so much alcohol was drunk the neurotransmitters in the brain stopped working normally, the stomach lining was inflamed, blood pressure increased and the body's ability to fight of infections was reduced for 24 hours."

Other tips included making sure enough shut-eye was had, especially before long drives, always having condoms with you, setting a firm cut-off time for gift buying to avoid last-minute budget blowouts and supporting the bereaved.

University Meditation Service Manawatu director Virginia Goldblatt said the gift of peace also had a place under the tree.

Negotiation and conflict resolution skills learned in the workplace could be used on those nearest and dearest to us who showed up late, or lacked gratitude for the time and trouble taken with the Christmas celebration, Ms Goldblatt said.

"Prepare well but instead of putting all that preparation into the meal and buying presents, put it instead into relaxing, being tolerant, avoiding sensitive topics and thinking about the good qualities of your family and friends.

"The cheapest gift we can give anyone is taking the time to listen to them. So make it your seasonal resolution to listen first and listen well, and you may be more likely to find peace and love over the next few weeks."