My neighbor dropped off a Christmas gift tonight. Unfortunately/fortunately, it’s edible.

What was masquerading as your basic apricot pastry from a local, mildly famous bakery was, in reality, more like a delicious, stone fruit pizza, complete with a buttery, flaky, croissant-like crust, sweet glaze and sugary frosting swirls on top.

Why can my diets never go accordingly? I mean, tonight at the mall someone had the nerve to force me inside the Nordstrom Cafe for a glass of wine — a welcome end to an emotional day, and then I was held captive until I cut into said fruity pizza, subsequently devouring a quarter of it.

Earlier this week, I was coerced into truffle sampling at work. And caramel corn sampling. And home-baked goods sampling.

OK, so that person in all instances was me. Darn the holidays!

The good news is that I rarely keep junk food in the house. The bad news is that it’s a slippery slope for me when the sweet tooth is dusted off, then humored…because it’s never truly satisfied until I either overdo it, or until I dive head first into a batch of lentils or quinoa and simply pull the plug on the sugar train entirely by killing it with smarter carbs. The latter is less fun, but better for the belt, natch.

I can complain all I want about my waistline woes but, in truth, it’s a complaint that millions will never know. Makes me want to become better about my fair share — specifically, knowing what’s absolutely necessary to survive, as well as sorting out my wants and needs a little better. There’s a fine line between enjoying what we’re fortunate to have and being wasteful or squandering our blessings.

This holiday season, let us be thankful for the abundance in our lives which can teach us a lesson or two about moderation, and about true needs versus wants. Our share is generally more than fair, while others’ shares frequently come up short. Here’s to remembering that we’re often fortunate enough to assist through charitable contribution, giving our time or making a donation to a food bank, your neighborhood Salvation Army or Goodwill representative, shelter or pet rescue.

It’s only fair.