Why do people eat so much at Christmas?

This is is a subject very close to my heart as I have been on a diet all my life, having been 12lb at birthday which in 1955 was very heavy!!  As I have an underactive thyroid with water retention I know that if I eat more than I usually do, the weight piles on!!  So at Christmas I have to plan, watch what I eat and cut down before and afterwards.  Luckily, as a veggie I dont have the fattening meat products and I dont like chocolate!

So why do people ruin their diets/health by eating 5,000 calories a day for three weeks and put on weight that it takes them to Easter to get off!!  Surely it is more important to have a few treats but still to eat healthily than put on 10 lbs that is a struggle to get off!  Alcohol packs on the weight, lowers your resistance and makes you hungry so this adds to the problem.

I enjoy Christmas just as much as everybody else and I eat what I want, but I plan and count my calories.  The problem is that the press/doctors say you dont have to count calories any more but that is not true - you need to know what you are eating - and if they are not important why do doctors have a daily recommendation!!!