As the days creep closer and closer to finals week, instead of doing the sensible thing and hunkering down in a lonely Lau cubicle with enough coffee to last me till Christmas, I’ve become more and more extravagant in my procrastination. Two weekends ago found me and a friend on a spontaneous journey to the U.S. Botanic Garden, all to avoid our horrifying workloads. And even though I found myself on Sunday night neurotically typing away on my laptop, the trip to the Botanic Garden was definitely worth it. You see, I had forgotten it was officially Christmastime.

When I burst into the Botanic Garden’s conservatory, I found myself smack in the middle of what the Garden charmingly calls “Holiday Magic,” an exhibition of model trains weaving through a fanciful landscape of Washington, D.C., in miniature. All of the monuments, along with the Capitol, the White House and other famous D.C. landmarks (including the Obama girls’ swing set!) had been perfectly recreated entirely using plant materials and festooned with handfuls and handfuls of glowing Christmas lights. At first, my sheer, childlike glee at this scene spread out before me was completely unexpected and also vaguely embarrassing (should a college student really be so excited by plant-houses and model trains?). But then again, that is what Christmastime is all about. Why stress yourself out about finals and miss out on all of the pure, unadulterated, little-kid-grin-inducing joy of December? Why not just take a little vacation from your silent campsite on Lau-One and remember why Christmastime is absolutely the most wonderful time of the year?

Of course, Washington, D.C., has already provided us with so many opportunities for general merrymaking that there’s really no excuse for a little escapism. At the Botanic Garden alone, in addition to the fanciful “Holiday Magic” exhibition, there’s the annual wreath-making class on Dec. 12. I honestly think that spending an afternoon crafting a wreath for your dorm room is both a worthwhile and noble occupation, one that will certainly bring you much more holiday cheer than poring over a textbook until your eyes cross. Or maybe if plant-work isn’t so much your thing, the Botanic Garden also provides a concert series in the conservatory on certain Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with everything from a capella to klezmer music to jazz.

And if you need an even more substantial dose of Christmas carols (trust me, you can never have too much — which is why there are three separate Christmas playlists on my iPod), there’s always “Holiday Lobbying,” a free concert series at the Willard Hotel. Located near the White House, the Willard is like something out of a fairytale or maybe the Gilded Age, a sumptuous, sprawling hotel — and then there’s the lobby. It’s so romantic, all marble and chandeliers and gold-and-blue couches, a place where you’d almost expect to see Jean Harlow or someone as ridiculously glamorous just lounging in eveningwear. You could take an evening off and join her, dress up in holiday finery and enjoy the Children’s Chorus of Washington (Dec. 8) or the Capitol Hill Chorale (Dec. 12). There’s a concert every evening this month, all local choirs from around D.C. (one’s called “Suspicious Cheese Lords”), and it could be a lovely change from the Charlotte Church album I know you’re secretly listening to on repeat (or maybe that’s just me).

There’s also something incredibly romantic about ice skating at Christmastime, gliding along amidst all the sparkling lights, maybe linking arms with someone you love — of course, only to keep from falling. The Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery sets up its own skating rink every winter, so you can twirl over the ice with fantastical pieces by Lichtenstein and Miró and Calder hidden among the evergreen trees. There’s also the Pershing Park Ice Skating Rink, which boasts a variety of eclectic music and is only a few blocks from the White House and the veritable pinnacle of the holiday season in D.C. — the National Christmas Tree.

It’s always rather sad around Christmastime to live in a dorm room the size of a ship’s berth and have barely enough room for one’s clothes, let alone an entire Christmas tree. Although I am still trying to convince my roommate, we may just adopt the National Christmas Tree as our own. In addition to the monolithic tree, all glowing with colorful lights and ornaments, there is the “Pathway of Peace.” Imagine a walk in the forest, if all the trees were decked out in their Christmas finest, each one representing a different state or territory (and one for our very own District of Columbia). It might just be the best place to do some good old-fashioned childish Christmas frolicking.

Closer to home, Georgetown is hosting a holiday street fair on Sunday, Dec. 6, an excellent opportunity to throw maturity to the winds and take a picture with Santa or go on a horse-drawn carriage ride. Perhaps best of all, Saxby’s and Dean & Deluca will be providing warming goodies like apple cider and hot cocoa and lattes. And then, of course, there are tons and tons of holiday sales for the ambitious Christmas shopper — or maybe if you just want a new sweater to snuggle up in while you study.

However, I think the best Christmas treat in Georgetown this season is a little-known secret I stumbled upon during another bout of procrastination. Just off M Street on 33rd St., in a cheerful yellow townhouse all painted with flowers, is J. Chocolatier. Only a few months old, this tiny enclave contains all kind of sheer amazingness — homemade truffles and creatively delicious baked goods and organic coffee. And then there’s the drinking chocolate: warm and cinnamon-y and simply glorious. It’s honestly all I want for Christmas, to just drink mugs and mugs of joyful chocolate. So even if you can spare only an hour from the caverns of Lau, put on a snuggly sweater, rescue your best friend from studying and buy them drinking chocolate — and just forget about stress for a little while. That’s the lovely thing about Christmas.