I don't know about the rest of you, but in my town, NOTHING is open on Christmas. Well, of course we have the stereotypical movie theatres, but not even the Chinese food restaurants are open! When there's nothing to do for almost a full day and a half, you have to cover all your bases ahead of time. Some of these tasks are necessary; others are purely enjoyment-related.

1. Make dinner plans.

Either you're going out for Chinese, or you're making something at home. If you    live in an area with a lot of Jews, you might want to make reservations to make sure you get into the good Chinese place, and not the one with the bad spring rolls. If you're making dinner, you might want to pick up some kosher chicken, or maybe a few steaks, to ensure a dinner comparable to those turkeys and hams your Christian friends are having.

2. Buy anything you can't live without.

Need to get milk? Buy it the 23rd. If you're sick, treat yourself to some cough syrup too. You don't want to be (or anyone else in your family to be) coughing up a lung throughout the movie. Lost your warm mittens? DEFINITELY go buy some new ones if you live in the north and are expecting a "white Christmas."

3. Finish buying any Christmas presents.

Your friends will totally know by what you got them if you got it the day after Christmas. And you don't want to be known as the last-minute friend, or, G-d forbid, the cheap one!

4. Send out a mass text message.

It doesn't matter if you send it to Jews or non-Jews, sending a text message to your entire phone book saying "Merry Christmas!” is good for two things: 1. Seeming compassionate about a holiday that is quite boring to you, and/or 2. Making your friends laugh. Either way, it is a lot of fun. And you’ll fill up your inbox with 'Thank you’s, 'You too’s, and 'Hahahahahaha's. Good holiday fun!

5. Go to the mall.

It is a must to experience the mall on Christmas Eve. People are going crazy over the last Tonka truck, or the last Barbie doll, or the last Wiggles CD. Another fun mall activity in the days before Christmas is harassing your friends and sibling who work there when they are at their busiest. I know from experience, it is maybe the most fun you can have on Christmas Eve!

Now, I wish you all a very merry Christmas! Enjoy whatever it is you're doing, and eat a lot of Chinese food!

Happy New Year, too!

Shelley