Day four of Elf on the Shelf and so far I haven’t managed to mess it up. Move the elf too early and any late-night adventurers will spot the pre-emptive strike, or worse, catch you in the act.

I threw our elf into the kitchen sink one night to avoid being caught red-handed. He swam among the suds with some dirty wooden spoons while I settled Belle back into bed.

But if you leave the elf til later, the danger is you’ll forget altogether. Amazing isn’t it, that even with a note to remind you, you can still forget.

Of course, if your kids can read, your note needs to say something like “socks” but, then you forget your own code and just wonder why on Earth you have a note that says “socks” on your alarm clock.

The penny drops either a) just as you have got warm and comfy, or b) the second you hear your kids stir the next morning. The former results in a lot of eye-rolling and usually a marital spat as you debate who has to move the bloody thing. The latter means you propel yourself out of bed at high speed, heart in your mouth, stubbing your toe and hopping downstairs holding in (or not) your entire repertoire of swear words.

Once you have your elf in your grasp you can fling it in any direction, where it lands unceremoniously in the Christmas tree, on top of the ceiling fan or (if you are unlucky) in the cat food.

You then spend the morning being tormented by your Facebook newsfeed, as most of your friends have coordinated epic masterpieces involving a Lego army or Barbie and all of her emaciated friends. Hmph.

But despite being scarred by these hiccups, I look forward to it every year. I know it’s another thing to buy and another thing to do and some people don’t agree with bribing their children to be good (what?!!) BUT it’s pretty magical, too.

I’ve already had to try to explain the Paris attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis to Chloe, my eldest. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of what’s to come, isn’t it?

There are so many positives in life and some pretty exceptional cases of human kindness, but there is also discrimination, prejudice, war, climate change … so when we have a small window of time to capture and feed their incredible imaginations, do I want to do it? Yes (even if it gives me palpitations).

The two things that really don’t go well together are the elf and adult nights out. In fact, if you have a few Christmas parties coming up I suggest you make the elf part of the babysitting duties as I am not sure you could fire yourself out of bed at the required speed the morning after. And while we’re on that topic, let’s discuss the morning after in more detail.

There is one sensible and obvious solution to the hangover problem: don’t drink, or don’t drink much. I gave up the blue cocktails and excess a long time ago.

The blue cocktails never returned. The excess makes an occasional reappearance, when I forget myself for a minute or, more specifically, when I forget that I have children who get up at 6am.

So as Bermuda can be a little boozy, especially over Christmas time, here are a few nutrition tips to help you prevent or manage those hangovers.

1. Avoid drinks with congeners (beware of the “nightcap”)

When ethanol (alcohol) is produced by sugar-fermenting yeasts, other toxic side products called congeners are formed, too. Congeners (eg acetone, methanol and isopentanol) seem to increase the frequency and intensity of hangovers compared with drinks that contain low amounts.

Drinks high in congeners include whiskey, cognac and tequila. Bourbon whiskey is exceptionally high. Drinks low in congeners includes colourless drinks such as vodka, gin and white rum. Vodka contains almost no congeners at all.

2. Watch your mixers!

A regular hangover is bad enough, adding a sugar hangover is even worse. Ditch the sugary mixers (soda, fruit punch, etc) and especially the coolers that serve up a big dose of food dye, too. Just one cooler can pack in ten to 20 teaspoons of sugar. That’s huge and has serious implications for blood-sugar management and weight gain. I would avoid diet options as well, given that these also challenge the liver. Note too that bubbles speed up alcohol absorption, so if you are aiming to pace yourself, pick a still option such as red wine or vodka with water and a splash of orange juice.

3. Drink plenty of water and try peppermint tea before bed

Alcohol is a diuretic, which means you urinate more than if you were drinking an equal amount of pure water. This can lead to dehydration and contribute to headaches and fatigue the next day. Rule of thumb: arrive hydrated and then drink a glass of water between drinks. Have at least one big glass of water before going to sleep. I think peppermint tea is great for settling the stomach, so brew a strong one before you go out and then leave it in the fridge to drink on your return! This is a great antidote to a rich evening meal, too.

4. Balance your blood sugar

Never drink on an empty stomach and note that hangovers tend to be more severe in those who have low or imbalanced blood sugar. Although hypoglycaemia is not a cause of hangovers, it can make symptoms feel worse. If you are just going out for drinks and aren’t having a meal, do eat something before you go that includes slow-releasing carbohydrates and protein. Good examples include low-sugar granola, plain yoghurt, or scrambled eggs on wholegrain toast.

5. Eggs for breakfast the morning after

No doubt you have heard of the “kill or cure” fry-up for breakfast. It’s not the saturated fat that’s going to help you, but the amino acids in the protein which can assist liver detox. Eggs are the best choice as they are easily digested and gentle on your stomach.

Plus, thanks to their large amounts of cysteine, eggs help to “mop up” alcohol toxins. Whites do contain more protein, but the yolks are cysteine-rich, so eat both!

6. Rehydrate with electrolytes

But put down the Gatorade, which contains far too much sugar and unnecessary food dyes. Try chilled, unsweetened coconut water (eg Zico from Supermart) or the Ultima Replenisher powders (also Supermart). The Ultima looks like a Crystal Light-type product but it’s actually free from dyes and artificial sweeteners.

After coconut water, it’s about as natural as you can get and very efficient for rehydration purposes.

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda