Dawn Jackson Blatner, Responds:

Moderation is the key to enjoying guilt-free holiday spirits, if you choose to indulge. But check with your doctor to make sure alcohol poses no problems for your health. If you’re worried about adding extra calories, choose a drink you’re more likely to sip, such as red or white wine or a home-mixed wine spritzer (50% wine, 50% club soda with plenty of ice).

Here’s how some choices stack up:

• Light beer, 100 calories for 12 ounces
• Beer, 150 calories for 12 ounces
• White wine, 120 calories for 5 ounces
• Red wine, 125 calories for 5 ounces
• 80-proof spirits, 100calories for 1.5 ounces

Mixers can add calories too, so stick with club soda, carbonated mineral water, or diet soda for a no-calorie mixer, and add a twist of lemon, lime, orange, or a mint sprig.

Whole milk, eggs, sugar, and heavy cream make eggnog a holiday delight but a dieting disaster. Just 1/2 cup of eggnog has 170 calories, 10 grams of fat—and that’s before you add a jigger of rum. Instead, try light eggnog (140 calories, 4 grams of fat) or soy nog (90 calories, 2 grams of fat). If you choose, you can spike it with 1.5 ounces of rum or whiskey for an additional 100 calories.