Mountain View News Saturday, November 29, 2025 
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Mountain View News Saturday, November 29, 2025 
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GETTING BACK TO YOUR 
DIET AFTER THANKSGIVING 

Thanksgiving is a time for celebration, connection, 
and—let’s be honest—indulgence. Between 
savory stuffing, creamy casseroles, and irresistible 
desserts, it’s completely normal to enjoy more than 
your usual share. 

The good news? One big meal—or even a whole 
holiday weekend—won’t derail your long-term 
health goals. What matters is how you reset afterward. 
Here’s how to get back to your diet with confidence 
and without guilt. 

1. Let Go of the All-or-Nothing MindsetThe biggest barrier to returning to your routine is 
often the feeling that you’ve “blown it.” In reality, 
progress comes from consistency, not perfection. 
Instead of punishing yourself with extreme restriction, 
simply shift back into your normal habits. 
2. Rehydrate and RebalanceThanksgiving meals tend to be high in sodium, 
which can leave you feeling bloated. Start your 
post-holiday reset by drinking plenty of water. 
Herbal teas and water-rich foods—like cucumbers, 
berries, and leafy greens—can also help restore 
balance. 
3. Focus on Real, Whole FoodsReturn to meals built around lean proteins, colorful 
vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Eating 
nutrient-dense foods not only helps your body 
recover, but it also stabilizes energy levels after a 
weekend of heavy dishes and sugar-filled treats. 
4. Get Moving AgainA brisk walk, yoga class, or light workout can boost 
How To Prepare Your Online Accounts Before You Die 


Dear Savvy Senior,

I recently had an estate plan drafted, including 
a will, power of attorney and advance directive, 
but I’m not sure what to do about all my 
online accounts – email, banking, and social 
media. What can I do to make sure my family 
can access what they need and protect mydigital information after I’m gone.
Almost 80 


Dear Almost, 
In addition to creating an estate plan, you should also make a “digital will” that lists all your online 
accounts and login information. This will help your loved ones access your electronic devices and on-
line accounts more easily so they can manage your electronic affairs, according to your wishes, after 
you’re gone. 

Montana State University offers a Digital Assets Inventory Worksheet (see Montana.edu/estateplanning/
digitalsssetsworksheet.pdf) to help you get started. Or consider purchasing a “password book” 
on Amazon for a few dollars. This will let you record and organize your online account information 
alphabetically. Here are a few other tips to help you prepare your digital life for your survivors. 

Apple: If you’re an iPhone, iPad or Mac user, you should nominate a “legacy contact” who can access 
your Apple account’s data after you die. This is a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, 
files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system. 
iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks need macOS Monterey 12.1. 

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or 
more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device. 

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or 
you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF. 

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on – including digital rights-
protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only 
access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account. 

Google: Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager (see Support.google.
com/accounts/answer/3036546), which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that 
you’ve stopped using your account. 

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait – from three to 18 months – before 
considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people. 

You can choose what types of data they can access – including emails, photos, calendar entries and 
YouTube videos. 

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your 
contacts will have to download any data before that deadline. 

Facebook and Instagram: If you’re on Facebook or Instagram, both of which are owned by the parent 
company Meta, you can have your accounts either memorialized or deleted after you die if the companies 
get a valid request from a family member or friend. See Facebook.com/help/1111566045566400 
or Help.Instagram.com/264154560391256 for details. 

Meta also strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after your memorial accounts 
– see Facebook.com/help/1070665206293088. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to 
new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter 
previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also must have a Facebook account. 

Passwords: If you use a password manager – a service that creates, saves and manages passwords for all 
your online accounts – see if it has an emergency access feature. Some services, like Keeper, Bitwarden 
and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access your keys in case 
of an emergency or death. 

Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, 
Norman, OK 73070. 

ONLINE SCAMS: 
How to avoid an online shopping scam this holiday season

by BCP Staff 

Does it feel like the holidays come around faster and faster every year? If you’re looking to save time 
by avoiding the crowds and doing some holiday shopping online, know that scammers camp out 
online all year long. So if you’re planning to shop online for holiday gifts, how can you avoid accidentally 
running into a scam?
Scammers are everywhere online — ESPECIALLY on social media. They sometimes impersonate 
real companies and run ads for brand-name products at unusually low prices. But if you click the 
link in the ad, it could send you to a scammy website designed to take your money in exchange for a 
counterfeit item, something that looks completely different from the picture in the ad, or nothing at 
all. 
When you’re shopping online, here are some ways to protect yourself during the holidays and 
year-round:

• Do some research. Before you buy, search online for the seller’s name and the website URL 
the ad sends you to, plus words like “review,” “complaint,” or “scam” to see what others have to say.
• Pay by credit card, when possible. If you’re charged twice, billed for something you never got, 
or get a wrong or damaged item, you can dispute the charge with your credit card company. And if 
the seller says you can only pay with a gift card, wire transfer, payment app, or cryptocurrency, it’s 
probably a scam.
• Keep records. If something goes wrong, having your receipt and order confirmation number 
can help you get your money back from the seller. Also, sellers have to ship your order by the time 
they or their ads say they will — or give you the chance to get your money back.
Visit ftc.gov/OnlineShopping to learn more. And if you spot a scam, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc. 
gov. 
SENIOR HAPPENINGS 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! NOVEMBER Birthdays* 


Flo Mankin, Alberta Curran, Carmela Frontino, Kathy Wood, Lena 
Zate, Joe Pergola, Janice Kacer, Valerie Howard, Lois Stueck, Jean Wood,
Shirley Yergeau, Pat Krok, Irene Nakagawa, Anna Ross, Mary Steinberg,
Mary Bowser, Susan Clifton, Mary Higgins, Kim Buchanan, Leigh Thach,
Sue Quinn, Jill Girod, Jeanne Martin.* 

To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper 

at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth not required 


THE TURKEY IS MY GOBBLE GOBBLE WISH LIST 

What I enjoy the most about holidays is the “eating frenzy.” It gives 

me opportunity to get away with a lot behind The Gracious Mis


tress of the Parsonage’s back, which is a great challenge. I’m not 

always successful, but I try and I have my family to thank for that.
In the last few years, I have had some health issues, beginning with a heart attack, 
which was not that bad because I survived without any issues. Other issues concerning 
my health have developed over the years, requiring me to be on health 
pills. 

Nobody knows more about that than The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. 
She oversees my medical pills daily. When I wake up in the morning, my medications 
are ready for me to take. Maybe I’ve become a drug addict! 

I can handle all of these pills as long as they keep me healthy. What I have a hard 
time handling is my diet. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has me on a 
very strict diet that eliminates sugar in every category. I’m not allowed to have 
sugar or any foods that contain it. I really didn’t know how many foods had sugar.
She is quite overseeing in this regard for me. I have no idea what pills I am taking, 
but I leave that in the very qualified hands of The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. 
She knows medicine better than the doctors I know. She goes with me on 
every doctor’s visit and communicates with the doctor regarding my medicines.
Although my diet is very strict in this regard, the holiday season enables me to 
compromise it just a little behind the back of you know who.. When we have a 
family gathering around the dinner table with that big Turkey in the middle, there 
are all kinds of sugar-saturated foods there, much to the chagrin of The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage. Being a family holiday gathering there is little she can 
do about it. They all bring their favorite food and much of it has sugar in it.
Usually, we have around 12 family members at these dinners, including several 
infants full of energy, which is a distraction and makes my sneaky plan more possible 
and easier to pull off. 

If I eat something with sugar in it, and The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage 
doesn’t see me eat it, I’m off free and that sugar is at my most gracious disposal. 
During the last 10 years following my heart attack, I have worked on this to perfect 
it. I’m not there yet but I’m working on it.. 

Throughout this family Thanksgiving celebration, I keep boasting about the turkey 
and how delicious it is, and I get others around the table to talk about it in 
order to divert attention from my plan. Now, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage 
is actively involved in the serving of this meal. 

My plan is to sneak a sugar-laden cookie or two from the table when she is distracted. 
With doughnuts, cookies, and pies all around, I couldn’t be in a better 
place. 

When I want to pick up a cookie, I will cause a little distraction and talk about 
how delicious that turkey was, and whoever made that turkey is a genius. Everybody 
will laugh and point to the person who baked that turkey, none other 
than The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Everybody will be laughing while 
behind the laughing I sneak a few cookies and slide them onto my plate. 

After all, how can I get caught eating something somebody in our family baked? 
It would be very rude for me not to eat something that someone in our familybrought to the meal. That is, everything but broccoli. 

Those Thanksgiving dinners are some of the most wonderful times of the year. 
Yes, I love and enjoy the turkey. But if I can use the turkey to create a shield to 
sneak several cookies, it is that much more delicious. 

After the meal when everybody has gone, I usually go and sit down in my easy 
chair and relax a bit and reflect on our time around the Thanksgiving table.
It is then that The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage will come and say, “I know 
you didn’t eat any cookies during the meal so I thought I would bring you one in 
appreciation of your faithful abstinence.” 

Nothing feels more wonderful than when a plan comes together. I’m not sure 
who is tricking whom here. Did I tricked her, or is she tricking me into believing 
that she didn’t see me take some cookies off the table? 

I look at her and say very cheerfully, “You know those pies on the table todaylooked so delicious and I was so tempted when looking at them.” 

“Well,” she said, “maybe I will let you have a small piece of pumpkin pie tonight 
for supper.” 

Refusing her offer would be stupid; I munched her cookie, dreaming of the 
pumpkin pie I'd enjoy later-life's perfect moment. 

As I was thinking of our family celebration I was reminded of a Bible verse, Psalm 
127:3, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his 
reward.” 

Thinking about my family at our Thanksgiving celebration caused me to remember 
how blessed I am. My goal is not to take this blessing for granted but thank 
God each day for it. 

Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. 
Telephone 1-352-216-3025, e-mail jamessnyder51@gmail.com, website 
www.jamessnyderministries.com. 

OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

your mood and jump-start your metabolism. Don’t 
overdo it; the goal is to reestablish your routine, 
not compensate for calories consumed. 

5. Plan Your Week 
Prepare simple meals, write out a grocery list, or 
pre-portion healthy snacks. Having a plan removes 
decision fatigue and helps you ease back into your 
rhythm. 
6. Show Yourself Grace 
Getting back on track is less about discipline and 
more about self-compassion. Celebrate the memories, 
enjoy the leftovers mindfully, and trust yourself 
to return to the habits that support your longterm 
health. 
With a gentle reset and a positive mindset, your 
diet can be right back on track—no stress required. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com