Start a countdown

Countdowns can be a very powerful force in nature, if the New Years Eve ball drop tradition is any indication. They can both ease the mind (i.e. 10 more minutes until I can escape this English class on Medieval Dinner Plates) and incite anticipation (i.e. 2 more days until I can order my tickets for Lord of the Rings on ice). Advent calendars can also be an acceptable substitution for such events. A friend of a friend (definitely not me) mentioned that Neopets has a good advent calendar, but I do not know for sure.