1. Sing Christmas carols
What better way to showcase your holiday spirit than by filling the air with your beautiful singing voice? Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way to wherever you’re going and don’t listen to anyone who tells you to stop. Try caroling to every classroom in New Cabell, or each apartment in GrandMarc. It’s like trick-or-treating, but more festive! If anyone laughs or calls you names for singing, just continue about Rudolph — remind them he now leads Santa’s sleigh, and at least you’ll be a little jolly as you fail your finals.
2. Study for finals
Spending your time studying isn’t the most cheerful thing to do, but nothing ruins the holiday season more than that friend who can’t stop complaining how many finals she failed. Refrain from being Ebenezer Scrooge and get your life together, because the time between Thanksgiving and finals is shorter than you think. And you can only bank on praying for a really severe, snow day-inducing white Christmas for so long — fill your (egg)noggin with real studying before it’s too late. An all-nighter in Clemons is so much worse when you have to trek home in the cold.
3. Eat everything
Trekking home in the cold won’t be as bad if you make like a polar bear and start bulking up for the winter now. Use whatever excuse you like: accidentally forgetting to go to the gym, accidentally buying three boxes of Christmas cookies, not letting any of your Plus Dollars go to waste. Take a hint from Santa and add on that extra layer of padding — more of you means more to love, plus now you won’t have to deal with the problem of where to hide your coat at Trinity.
4. Only wear red and green
According to the Internet, the origin of red and green as Christmas’ primary colors can be traced back to the holly tree and its red berries. It’s a shame they had to pick such clashing colors. Weren’t they thinking about the future of fashion? Regardless, there are no other color combinations more universally recognized for the holidays than red and green, so bust out your best sweaters and pants and showcase your holiday cheer. Feel free to add some funkiness to your wardrobe and switch it up from the traditional bright red and forest green — the more, the merrier!
5. Start shopping for gifts
This is the most wonderful time of the year, especially for retail. Every store has a sale for the month of December, citing reasons like, ‘Wow, Santa has a beard? 30 percent off!” or “We just discovered that low-fat milk makes a great healthy substitute for cream in your coffee so celebrate this revelation with us and get free shipping on your next order of $200 or more!” Plus, it’s a known fact that making the very important decision of which Yankee Candle to pick out for mom takes time — one must sniff every candle in the store before picking the winning scent.
6. Decorate your house
Deck your halls with bells of holly and jolly up your living space with some holiday cheer. This is a perfect opportunity to finally use those Christmas lights you begged your mom to buy you in your pre-fall semester shopping quest for the most Pinteresting apartment room ever. While you’re at it, cover yourself in lights, cover your friends in lights, and cover your car in lights, too. Stage your own Lighting of the Lawn to share your holiday cheer and perfect the ratio of Peppermint Schnapps to hot chocolate for actual Lighting of the Lawn. Or, hang some mistletoe above your door and enforce mistletoe rules the next time you have people over.
7. Come up with a life plan
Yes, I know it sounds insane, but humor me for a little bit. You survived the interrogations about your life by family members on Thanksgiving. You’re feeling great for having managed to dodge such tough questions as “What are you doing next summer?” and “What job can you actually get with that degree?” You’re about to have to survive the mental breakdown that is finals and be expected to have answers for the aforementioned questions merely a few days later. Prepare yourself and either find an internship in the next 10 minutes, or come up with some elaborate excuses. And no, Uncle Jimmy, I’m still not going to follow you back on Instagram. Yes, this red cup is full of water.
8. Make a list, check it twice
Not just for Santa! Don’t forget anything ever again — from the gifts you have to buy, to the meetings you have to attend, to the holiday exercise regimen you’re never going to keep. At least feign a semblance of organization and make a to-do list for the next few weeks. There’s nothing worse than thinking your final is at 2 p.m. and realizing too late that it was in fact several hours earlier (I can neither confirm nor deny that this has actually happened to me.) But, in actuality, your brain, wallet and sanity will thank you if you preemptively lay out everything you need to do for the next few weeks. The holidays can feel not-so-jolly when you’re extremely stressed out, so help yourself keep up the cheer by taking a page out of Santa’s book.
9. Find a new TV show to watch:
#Winterbreakiscoming. Prepare yourself for spending long days on the couch over break and find a new show on Netflix to watch. Holiday season is very emphatically synonymous with Holi-no way I’m moving from this spot season, so jingle all the way through an episode or 12 of a new television show in your inevitable finals procrastination. But remember to save some episodes for Winter Break — you’re going to want something to look forward to once finals are actually over. Plus, emotionally investing yourself in a television show is a good way to convince your family that you have a (semi) legitimate hobby. And an easy way to avoid annoying relatives.
10. Take lots of pictures
For the 12 snaps in her Snapstory, my best friend Snapchatted me: 12 of her puppy, 11 of her family, 10 of her dinner, nine of her new shoes, eight of her Starbucks, seven on some ice skates, six “look I’m #domestic,” five more of her dog, four from her car, three from bed, two at a mall and one high school friend selfie.
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