This post is sponsored by Watermelon.org, however all content, comments, and enthusiasm remain mine.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, queue the music! The holidays are finally here, and by incorporating watermelon into the Thanksgiving through New Year’s season, the time is something even more joyful (and juicy) to celebrate. 
Some may associate watermelon with only the warm-weather months, but I’m here to spread the good cheer – watermelon is an amazingly versatile and economical fruit that can be enjoyed 365 days a year. In fact, watermelon is a super delicious and decidedly healthful way to bring family and friends together and make memories wherever you may be gathered. Read on to find out my strategies to survive and thrive through the holidays with watermelon.
Strategies to Survive (and Thrive) Through the Holidays with Watermelon
Pre-Party Snack: Eating a serving of watermelon can fill you up and satisfy your sweet tooth, both “tricks” that can keep you from over-indulging at a holiday party. Watermelons are about 92% water, and that intake is a smart way to keep you feeling satiated. The additional volume of fluid promotes fullness without many additional calories, plus you get a little taste of natural sugars which can quell cravings. Watermelon has just 80 calories per 2 cups of cubed flesh.
Smart Hydration: Boasting such a significant water content, eating (and drinking) watermelon helps to prevent dehydration. Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to work optimally and often during this chaotic time of year, it’s easy to get so busy with errands and preparations that we forget about keeping a healthy hydration routine. Also, being in cold weather can diminish your thirst response and also increase the rate at which you lose water through respiration (just think about all those cold mornings when you can see your breath)! Additionally, toasting cheers with alcoholic beverages can leave you so dehydrated your brain feels shrunken inside your head! Eating watermelon, drinking watermelon juice, or even beverages made with watermelon are a great way to ensure proper hydration and maybe even ward off a headache (more about that later). See the drink ideas below.
Watermelon Drinks and Mocktails: A great strategy to stay hydrated and enjoy a festive drink is to make holiday mocktails (or cocktails, if you prefer) with watermelon juice. Drinks will be sweetened from natural sugars courtesy of watermelon and you’ll benefit from its essential vitamins and electrolytes. If you are prone to a throbbing head, the l-citrulline in watermelon has been shown to promote blood flow and some studies suggest that it may help to lessen headaches. You can purchase watermelon juice in most stores or make it yourself by blending cubes of watermelon and then pouring through a strainer to remove any seeds and fiber. Check out Watermelon.org to peruse their amazing selection of watermelon drink recipes, and meanwhile try my Zero-ABV Watermelon Grapefruit Ginger Zinger, pictured above. Simply stir together 4 ounces watermelon juice, 4 ounces of grapefruit juice and a tablespoon of fresh ginger juice. Pour over ice, garnish with mint and enjoy!
Sugary Treat Swap: Serving watermelon on your dessert buffet offers family and friends a sweet yet sensible alternative to rich, indulgent holiday goodies. A fun and easy way to serve holiday watermelon is by cutting a 1” cross section of watermelon and using a cookie cutter to pop out shapes. Enlist the help of your kids, it’s a great way to keep the little elves busy. Level up the creations with a sprinkle with spices, a dollop of whipped cream, or drizzle with melted chocolate. Don’t miss my article Four Ways to Season Watermelon That Will Blow Your Mind.
My version of this Christmas watermelon cookie idea is a “forest” of watermelon trees and pile of whipped cream snow. Use a Christmas tree cookie cutter (or a paring knife and good eye) to incorporate the rind and outer shell as the trunk! After making the cut outs, I sprinkled with cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla — you have to try this amazing flavor enhancement for watermelon.
Watermelon Workouts: Most of us feel better if we keep exercising through the holidays, whether that’s indoors or outdoors. Not only can holiday season stress your waistband, it can also take a toll on your mental health. In general, surveys that suggest people feel more stress, anxiety and depression in the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day than other times of the year. Engaging in consistent exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. Most trainers recommend moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day (several times a week) to improve fitness, lessen stress, boost physical and mental energy, and elevate overall well-being through the release of endorphins. You are practically guaranteed to get into the happy (if not laughing out loud) zone with a watermelon workout. Large, medium and personal-sized watermelons can be used as the weights and/or obstacles in your workout – squats, Russian twists, deadlifts, hop-overs, burden runs, overhead and chest presses, and watermelon plank taps are just some of the exercises you can do with a watermelon. Check out my most recent Watermelon Home Workout for inspiration.
Gifting Watermelon: Watermelon is just an all-around feel-good fruit that will bring a smile to most everyone’s face, young and old. A thoughtful hostess gift, business associate gift, teacher gift, or gift for the fit foodie would be a delicious watermelon tied up with a bow or wrapped up in a swath of pretty fabric. Receiving watermelon as an edible gift, especially in the more elusive fall and winter months, is an unexpected but totally appreciated gesture – and unique. However, in some countries like Japan, gifting a watermelon or other melon (where they are very expensive) is a highly-regarded cultural gesture meant show respect and cultivate relationships. Thankfully, in the US, watermelons are affordable and available year-round and I can gift (at least a personal-sized) watermelon to everyone I know for just a couple dollars each!
How will you incorporate watermelon into your daily routine and holiday traditions this year?!