Christmas is the most magical time of the year. There are lights up outside, everything on the TV has snow and singing, and everyone is shopping. It’s sparkly and you can watch Christmas movies, wear Christmas sweaters, and all of the YouTubers you love are vlogging every day. It’s so exciting, it’s hard to even think that it all has to come to an end. Who couldn’t love this time of year? Who on earth would want this time of year to end?

The worst part of Christmas is the actual Christmas Day. People are less happy on Christmas day because the next day Christmas is over. What are us Christmas celebrators to do now that this happy time is no longer being celebrated? Well, it happens to be easier than you’d think. Here is a comprehensive how-to guide on what you should do now that the Christmas season is over:

Step one: look outside your window. Everyone else still has decorations up, and probably will for another week at least (the really inefficient people keep the Christmas spirit up even longer). This will hold you over for a while, so that the change is not too abrupt. You can easy into the sad and cold winter this way.

Step two: drink hot chocolate and eat the candy from your stocking. This is the most Christmas thing you can do without celebrating Christmas. It also means you can get something in your stomach, which is important in order to hold you over. It’s healthy, for your happiness, so this step is one of the more important ones.

Step three: start using, wearing, or enjoying your presents. Presents are vital when it comes to post-Christmastime blues. These are what will actually keep you occupied for the next 364 days. If you got some Legos, put that shit together. And take a long time doing it. Binge watch whatever DVD you got while you’re doing it. If you got makeup, watch every YouTube tutorial there is on it, and try every single look you can with it. Doing this will make the time pass quickly, and soon Christmas will be a mere memory. You’ll forget about the cookie-making, present shopping, present getting, snowman sweater-wearing time, and think only of snow and awards season.

It is when you realize Christmas is over and forgotten that you can move on and embrace the present, magic-less time that you are now living in. It doesn’t seem like it now, but happiness does exist outside of the month of December. All you have to do is ease yourself out of this overdose of jolliness, and you’ll get used to it. Of course, not without a timer counting down the days until next Christmas.