It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go, and if the Mayans were right, it’s going to start looking like the apocalypse very soon.

It seems that most people have forgotten, or refuse to acknowledge, the end of the Mayan calendar, and the ensuing doomsday, are a mere three weeks away.

Dec. 21 is fast approaching, and although the sun may turn black, blood may fall from the sky and the wrath of the Mayans will be unleashed upon the earth, there is still hope.

While the way the apocalypse will be carried out is never certain, the most probable and best-case scenario to prepare for is the raising of the dead by an ancient Mayan curse.

Preparation for the Mayan zombie apocalypse is as easy as preparing for any natural disaster, with a few twists.

The most important part of any doomsday scenario is staying alive. That means you must first find the essentials, such as water, non-perishable foods, batteries, flashlights and other related items.

After gathering the essentials, establishing a survival plan is a must.

While holing up in a fortified building such as a boarded up apartment or bomb shelter may seem like a good idea at first, running out of supplies and security breaches can turn the shelter that once protected you into a death trap.

Your best bet for staying alive during the apocalypse is staying mobile with a small group of survivors and being able to move between shelters as fast as possible, that way if your position is compromised you can pick up and leave.

Make sure to travel at night, as the Mayan zombies have limited night vision and will not be able to follow as easily in the dark. Also, stay in the open spaces.

After decades of rot, the Mayan zombies have lost a lot of mobility, so out maneuvering the hordes should be fairly simple as long as you don’t get stupid and corner yourself.

Finally, one of the most important aspects of any zombie apocalypse is self-defense.

While it may be hard to cut down a horde of zombies, keep in mind that those infected are no longer humans but ravenous monsters that have no desire but to feast on your warm flesh.

Firearms, such as pistols and shotguns, are useful in certain situations, but should be avoided for the most part and used only if necessary.

The loud noises attract other zombies and ammunition in the post-apocalyptic world will be limited.

Hand-held weapons such as machetes, baseball bats, hammers, shovels, axes and swords and ranged weapons like bows and crossbows are best to clear your way of the walking dead.

When disposing of zombies, it’s important to remember not to get overwhelmed. One or two zombies can quickly turn into a horde of 20 or 30.

The most important thing to remember is the zombies can only be killed by destroying the brain.

An arrow to the chest may take a normal human out of commission, but a zombie will keep coming after you until you take its head off.

At the end of the day, survival all comes down to preparation.

As the end of the Mayan calendar comes, just remember to keep an eye open and sleep with your crossbow under your pillow.