When you wake up the morning of December 24th and see the gray sky outside (obviously not white cause we live in California and the weather here is awful), you realize it’s that time of the year. The time to get out of your bed and run to Target for the most last-minute presents in the history of holiday shopping (just like all of our homework assignments that won’t be started until the day before break ends).

Hopefully, gifts are for sale and copped for under $20 because that’s all a broke, high school kid can afford with all those boba trips and shopping hauls. However, this is the very best scenario. Most people would just take whatever they can find around the house and throw it together and pray it looks decent, or give that boring biology book your aunt gave you.

Once that’s done, you run to put the presents under the tree only to realize the tree isn’t even up yet. Not only are there no decorations, but the fridge is also emptier than the Grinch’s heart.

Don’t deny it; everyone has been in at least one of these situations. So I’m here to tell you what not to do so you don’t feel the same about Christmas as you do for those killer chemistry or math tests. First of all, everyone should strive to put their tree up as soon as you finish that turkey on Thanksgiving. If not, then try to get the family together on December first, and decorate the house then. Christmas isn’t just another holiday like Easter or Halloween, it’s the happiest time of the year, so reflect that on your home! Decorate your ENTIRE neighborhood, decorate your town! Then, volunteer at a shelter and build a house for a family and then decorate THAT ONE TOO!! Though putting up decorations aren’t the worst part of Christmas preparations, the $1000 decorations that you can never seem to remember where you stored makes life a hundred times more difficult. However, if your decorations still don’t go up, they probably never will.

As the rest of December goes on, visit the store a few times to see what your family (and if you’re nice) your friends might like. But let’s be real. You’re really just browsing around different stores to get an idea of what to buy. Then, start to think about buying something when really all you’re thinking is “maybe I’ll find something better somewhere else.” After that’s done, slowly wrap them overtime and either put them under the tree or in your room in your closet crowded by the millions of textbooks, outside reading books, and annoying Shakespeare plays that your teacher assigns.

Once that’s done, look through the big book of family recipes, and find a few baked goods and fun treats to make with your family. The rest of this step can be done by your family because let’s be real, who can actually cook? Now you’ve finally got the majority of your Christmas tasks done, and you can finally relax. Imagine how much easier your life has become because you didn’t procrastinate!