It can seem that every Christmas commercial showcases the perfect family having the perfect Christmas with smiling faces and fancy houses and presents in abundance.  Meanwhile the commercial of our own lives often includes the arguments and frustration, the one family member that tends to start drama, the struggle to maintain a budget and the Turkey that is still frozen. The reality doesn’t sell products.  So how do you cope? How do you find joy in the chaos? 

Here’s a few simple tips that might help keep the merry in your holidays or at least keep the grinch at a distance.  

1. Set reasonable expectations.  Don’t pressure yourself to have the best of everything and that everything goes exactly according to your plan.  Instead have a general idea of what will happen specific to what you will do and be okay with that.  Others will do what they do - you can’t control that. 

2. Plan what you can ahead of time.  Last minute shopping and cooking and wrapping quickly can become overwhelming and frustrating. If you pace as many things as possible out over days and weeks those last few days won’t seem as stressful. 

3. Create a budget and stick too it.  Be honest with yourself about what you can afford and hold yourself accountable.  Your stress will be lower when you are not worried about debt. 

4. Focus on traditions and add new ones.  Your children will likely not remember that toy under the tree but they will remember you reading a Christmas story as you snuggle under a blanket drinking cocoa.  They will remember leaving cookies for Santa. They will remember times shared with you. Your love is the greatest gift. 

5. Take breaks from the festivities - a walk, some flag football, or just a few moments of silence staring at the tree can calm the nerves.  

6. Finally remember the meaning and focus on the love.  In the end it is all that really matters. 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season

The mental health team at HicksStrong 

Are you interested in knowing how to “hack” Thanksgiving? Well you have come to the right
place! Holidays are time consuming and for many are very stressful! Here are some simple tips
on how to make the big day a breeze.
 
Hack it, How to:

1.     Set the table the day before. This is always something my family did and it made life so
much easier!

2.     Prep your vegetables ahead of time. Slice, dice and chop away. Storing each in a container
so you can heat, dump and go.
-       Need to turn it up a notch? Make them the day before but leave them a little firmer so when
you reheat them they are perfectly cooked.

3.     Crock pots are a beautiful thing. You can make everything including the turkey in one of
these!

4.     Skip the potato peeler. Yes, potato skin of all potato varieties is perfectly edible and is a
great source of fiber. Just be sure to give them a scrub before you boil them. Smashed red
skinned garlic mash anyone? YUM.

5.     If your friends and family are like mine, they are always asking what they can bring. A
great tip is to give everyone a dish to prepare. You take care of the bird and literally the rest
comes to you.

6.     Make sure you bird is defrosted in time. Set alarm reminders on your phone to make sure
you put that bad boy in the refrigerator in time! The USDA recommend one day for every 4-5lbs
of weight. So if your turkey is 24lbs it will take about 6days to thaw. Now that’s a lot of turkey!!

Nutrition Coach
​Jackie Mistretta

I had no idea what to expect this Veterans day weekend. All I knew was we had built a relationship with the NY Giants over this last year and we had secured a Hug Mug party with players and staff on Veterans day. We had 13 Volunteers of which 4 are veterans with us to help us set up and run the event. It was amazing to see the support in action. Everyone around us was getting the room set up it was like that scene in Fantasia where Mickey gets the whole room cleaning then it gets out of control... Well minus the out-of-control part.  We have built a very well-oiled team of supporters to help keep our mission moving forward and we are so grateful. 

Then out of the corner of my eye, I see Coach Brian Daboll and I realized ok this is happening.  Before I knew it we were in full HicksStrong Hug Mug swing. Players were asking questions about what we do while they took time to paint a Hug Mug for a service member to receive just two days away from game day. 

Shane Lemieux - OL, Daniel Jones - QB, Justin "Jelly" Ellis -DL, Ryder Anderson - DL, Stirling Shepard - WR and so many staff members painted HicksStrong Hug Mugs for our service members to remind them they are not alone. 

W
Are you feeling nervous about staying on track when you are invited to
Holiday parties? Here is a miniature party survival guide to help you stay on
track:

​

• Eat normal throughout the day. Again no skipping here.
• Fill half your plate with the healthiest thing you can find. The other half can be the foods you want to indulge in.
• Only allow yourself a single plate as an entrée and choose just one dessert.
• Worried about alcohol? Use the “book-end” approach. For every beverage, have one glass of water in between. It cuts calories and helps with hydration!

Pumpkin Recipes!

For my pumpkin lovers this is your time of year friends! From baked goods to the
all famous pumpkin spice late, it seems everything is pumpkin! If you are like me
and you dislike “fake” pumpkin flavor check out the recipes below that use REAL
pumpkin in unique and healthy ways.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients:
 3/4C canned pumpkin puree
 2 eggs
 2/3C milk (or alternative)
 2 tsp. vanilla extract
 1 TBSP sweetener or choice (maple syrup, honey, agave)
 1.5C oats (rolled oats recommended)
 2 tsp. baking powder
 ¼ tsp. salt
 ¼-1/2 tsp. spices of choice (cinnamon, ginger, clove, all spice, nutmeg,
etc.)
Instructions:
1. Combine and mix all the following ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Once ingredients are mixed well, lightly butter a large pan or griddle.
3. Place roughly 1/3C of the pancake mixture onto the cooking surface and
cook for 2-3 minutes. Flipping half way through.
4. Serve with maple syrup, top with nuts (optional) and enjoy!
These pumpkin oatmeal pancakes are high in fiber, delicious and will make your
home smell like fall!

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:
 4 TBSP. oil of choice
 2C pumpkin puree
 1 large onion (yellow, white, Spanish)
 4-6 cloves of garlic
 ½ tsp. salt
 4C broth (chick, vegetable, etc.)
 1/2C coconut milk or cream (milk or heavy cream optional)
 2 TBSP. sweetener of choice
 1 TBSP curry powder
 ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
 ¼ tsp. chili powder
 Toppings: roasted pumpkin seeds, sour cream, cilantro, green onion, etc.
Instructions:
1. In a large soup pot cook the chopped onion and garlic in oil until fragrant.
2. Next add the pumpkin puree and spices, stirring to combine.
3. Next add desired stock of choice, followed by coconut milk.
4. Allow to simmer for half an hour or until the soup has thickened slightly.
5. Serve in a bowl and topped with desired additions.
Roasted pumpkin grain salad
Ingredients:
 Roasted pumpkin (kent, sugar, etc.) *See link for how to break down a pumpkin.
 1 large onion
 4 garlic cloves
 Salt & Pepper
 1 tsp. ground coriander
 1 tsp. ground cumin
 1 TBSP. olive oil
 2 TBSP sweetener of choice.
 ½-1C quinoa or grain of choice.
 Pomegranate seeds
 Pumpkin seeds
 Kale (or greens of choice)
 Feta cheese

Lemon vinaigrette:

 1/4C lemon juice
 1 small clove of garlic
 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
 Salt and pepper to taste
 ½ tsp. sweetener of choice
 1/4C oil of choice
Instructions:
1. Split the pumpkin open and clean accordingly.
2. Cut the pumpkin, onion and garlic into large chunks, placing onto prepared cookie
sheet.
3. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and sweetener of
choice and place into a 425 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes, stirring half way until
the vegetables are tender.
4. In a large sauce pan prepare grain of choice according to box instructions.
5. Wash, remove the stem and tear kale leaves.
6. Place grain mixture into a serving dish, top with kale leaves, placing vegetable mixture
on top.
7. Finish with a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds and feta
cheese.
Roasting pumpkin link: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-roast-a-pumpkin-224473

​Written by Jackie Mistretta
​

Life can get so hectic sometimes. Work, deployments, trianings, school, family, side hustle, etc. So when you feel like you simply can't do anything else- Just Breathe; be here today, tomorrow, and each day after that. Because you matter, your life matters, and we here at HicksStrong want you to be here and Just Breathe. 

Our #Justbreathe movement was created to serve as a reminder for ourselves and others to take a minute, and Just Breathe. We believe self care should be accessible to everyone, and we want to remind you that it is! Taking a few moments to regulate your breath can help to regulate your nervous system and tackle stress and overwhelm.

From nature, to family and friends we want to know where you go to #Justbreathe. Purchase your shirt today, take a picture of where you go to #Justbreath and tag HicksStrong (don't forget the 2 S's!) and we will share it on our page.

To purchase a shirt click HERE

Proceeds from the shirts go directly to helping HicksStrong keep up with the growing need and requests we receive for therapy that is confidential and hassle free for our military community. 

One of our Hug Muggers was recently spotlighted in a Skidmore article where she is an English Professor. We have been working with Brenda Pashley-Rabbitt for a couple years now and she and our other Hug Mugger Desire Drindak have help take the production to a new level.  

With the sense of community in mind we came up with a way to help Skidmore collage student during the earlier stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Students were able to take part in art therapy while being isolated providing them with much needed volunteer hours and heart warming effect of knowing what they have been painting is going to bring hope, joy and resources to struggling military members currently serving and veterans across the country. 

Hug Mugs are instrumental in reminding our service members they are not alone and that there are resources available to them.

To read more about the Skidmore article visit: https://www.skidmore.edu/civic-engagement/foc/brenda-pashley-rabbitt.php

USN ABHAN Macoy Austin Daniel Hicks
7/12/1998 – 2/11/2019
Gone to Soon but Never Forgotten!

Two years ago we connected with the Navy Times to work on a story about what happened to Macoy our son.

Here is a link to the article: www.navytimes.com

The need for therapy is increasing and the climate in the military for our service members is getting more toxic. If you would like to support our mission to save military live sign up as a monthly donor and join us in saving military lives. Link: Donate Monthly