1. Try to parody all the Christmas songs.

The Twelve Days of Christmas and Jingle Bells are the favorites. Easy rhyme schemes and repeating patterns help convince us we’re the cleverest little wordsmiths on the face of the planet. If only everybody else wasn’t trying to do it, too. At the very least, it makes for good fun in a group of small friends with lots of inside jokes.

2. Write stories as gifts.

It can feel like a bit of a cop-out the older you get, but if you’re a writer you’ve at least thought of doing this before. The first and only time I wrote a story as a gift was for my mother on her birthday. I titled it “The Unexpected and Much Appreciated Power of Mom” and made incredible jokes about myself and my siblings, painting Mom as the hero.

I was also thirteen. It was a terrible story.

Either way, after a few false starts and fun story maps, we often give up on story-gifts because they can be either embarrassing or not quite tailored enough. If you are confident in your skills and have understanding friends/family, however, then don’t let anything get in the way of writing someone that perfect, touching Christmas story. After all, my mother loved “The Unexpected and Much Appreciated Power of Mom.”

3. Work on our NaNoWriMo novels instead of Christmas shopping.

Just because National Novel Writing Month ended on November 30^th doesn’t mean we still aren’t working on it. If writers have one guilty pleasure, it’s getting wrapped up in our own little world whilst ignoring other responsibilities—like taking real time to think about Christmas gifts. Our biggest excuse—when we’re rich and famous, we’ll buy them all the presents they want. (My plan is to buy everyone I know a cruise ship. Then we shall form a fleet and go conquer New Zealand).

4. Either criticize or go easy on Christmas movies.

In all honesty, most Christmas movies deserve exemption from the nitpicking and plot-hole-finding attacks writers usually spring on films. Depending on if the movie is an old favorite (which deserves full attention and acceptance) or a new release (which requires far less), writers make their story-rating skills known on a quieter or louder scale. Few things annoy us more than a Hallmark Christmas movie fraught with romantic sap and littered with clichés. But deep down, we know they are the comfort food of entertainment.

5. Make room for the writer-gifts.

Writers always receive notebooks, pens, pencils, novels, sketchbooks and snack stashes. While they may seem overdone, writers always appreciate the basic supplies. A good writer reads as much as he or she writes, so make sure to find out what genres your writing friend devours and buy them those books—or, if you want to get invested, give your writer a Kindle. The gratitude will never die. Also never underestimate the appreciation writers have for a simple notebook and pack of pens. We will fill them. And finally, snacks are always a good idea. Your writer will eat them right into the New Year, which brings fresh ideas and more chances to make their mark upon the world.