With shopping malls and supermarkets gradually bringing in more and more Christmas gifts, decorations and food, Christmas will be here before you know it. Your workplace and friends will be asking you to Christmas parties and events across the upcoming weeks. If you're at University, there's a party almost every other night. No sooner do you recover from one and you're into another. No wonder your guts are tangled up in knots. If you're a bit older and already fighting to control a home, job, and three children, Christmas can make it a nightmare. The kids are already winding themselves up, your mum and dad have provided notice they want to stay again, there's gifts to buy, food to prep and your partner demands more of your time also. It doesn't end after you're retired, your children feel it's their responsibility to visit and you've got to feed them and the grandchildren are so stressful. Christmas! Bah! Humbug! It's bad enough if you're completely well, but with IBS, it's just Strictly Come Dancing. You're bowels are doing their own edition of the Rumba constantly! So what can you do? How can you party proof your bowels and enjoy the festivities?

Well, the solution is to pace yourself. You don't have to stuff yourself silly, and drink yourself paralytic to have a good time. Quite the contrary. You will have a much better time if you keep within your limitations. Best tips are:

• Enjoy your food, eat slowly, savour it. Don't eat too much, just have one helping of meat and not too many mince pies and please watch the sprouts. Eat until you are satisfied.
• Enjoy a glass or two of wine, but have plenty of water too. Drink enough, but slowly. Then relax, enjoy the company, stay in control. What you should aim to achieve is that mellow comfortable feeling, rather than reckless. 
• Enjoyment is all about regulation. Try to keep to the routine your gut is used to. Try not to eat too late. 
• Go to bed at a reasonable time. Try to wind down before you sleep, and don't wear yourself out. 
• Some people may think of you as a party pooper, but that's their problem. The people that really matter will probably know you have a bit of a dodgy gut but will respect you for making the effort and envy you for keeping it together.

You might be the one that's carrying out the majority of the work, in that case plan ahead, allocate times to acquire presents, work out what you are going to buy well ahead of time, organise shopping, prepare as much food as possible beforehand, so that you can relax when your guests arrive. Then if you know that your mum always winds you up, plan for that too, just take into consideration how you can organise the time so you are both diverted by other activities, involve her, bring out the best in her. She will feel good and you will too. Get your partner and your family involved with the cooking. Switch off the television and talk, play games and basically enjoy each other's company. It's what bonds families together. You may, in some instances, not see each other until next Christmas so make the most of it. Ultimately, don't let your irritable belly spoil the fun, just look after it and take into account all the IBS help given in this article.