The Christmas season brings about many different things, from shopping to decorating the tree to spending an inordinate amount of time with relatives. In lieu of this I would like to present my tips to having a great Christmas season illustrated in gifs.
1. Always make sure that the well-decorated part of the tree is well displayed for all to see.
Especially for those who don't use pre-lit trees, there's always a side of the tree that has more lights or the prettiest ornaments. There's precious time that's spent in picking out the ornaments and intricately placing them on the tree, so display that hard earned work for all to see.
2. Always make sure that you have a Christmas list in mind.
The last thing that anyone wants to hear when they ask what you want for Christmas is "Gee, I haven't really given it much thought." Come on, we all know you saw the complete Star Wars saga on Blu-Ray at Target last week and had to run out of the store before you splurged on it. If you must, just go to the mall and find stuff you'd like and give people a list. PLEASE.
3. When shopping for gifts, don't wait until the last minute.
One of the worst possible things you can do as a gift buyer is to say "I'll get that the week before Christmas." If you're out trying to buy a Hatchimal right now you feel this pain. Toys are a hot commodity on Christmas and waiting until December 21 to go shopping for the hottest item on the market is a suicide mission. I know that it's already slightly past the time that you should've bought Christmas gifts, but this is a yearly problem so if you waited this year, here's the warning to not do that again.
4. Don't Be A Scrooge.
Nobody likes a Scrooge. There are lots of people out there who really struggle during the Christmas season because it's a stressful holiday filled with expectations and pressure from the media to buy Christmas gifts. I know you may have heard a little too much Mariah Carey and the next time you hear that lady one cubicle over sing that song you may want to burst, but please reign it in. Learn a lesson from Buddy and spread happiness and joy to people everywhere.
5. Remember the spirit of the season.
This connects with the previous one, but always remember that the Christmas season is very meaningful. Christmas time is all about unity and about being good to one another as human beings, so be nice to one another. Buy a homeless man a cup of coffee. Help organize some kind of food drive or toy drive for families who don't have enough to celebrate Christmas as they would like. There is so much that everyone can do to make the season special, so go out and do it!
