Well, today is Dec. 5 and you know what time it is – 19 days until Christmas shopping begins.

I absolutely despise holiday shopping because I have no clue what to get my family and friends. And I’m not the only one.

It’s actually quite comical, man’s struggle with shopping. Rewire the house? Sure. Put new shingles on the roof? No problem. But find a gift for your best friend of 20 years? Impossible!

It’s not like I get much help, either.

From my family, I get either a detailed “I don’t know” gift list or a request so pricey that Paris Hilton comes away impressed. Last year, when I asked my then 15-year-old sister what she desired for Christmas, she snapped back, “a new car.”

I got her a Hot Wheels Mustang.

My dad? It sounds horrible, but I’ve gotten him the same jar of Planter’s cashews for the last 14 years. The gift is so predictable that last year I didn’t even conceal the glassed jar in wrapping paper, opting instead for the blue Wal-Mart bag. “Surprise, surprise,” was his response.

This year he wants me to buy him a steam tractor. My interpretation? I think he wants cashews.

Although I’m the oldest (19) of three children, my little brother and sister are also in their teens, so Santa’s pile of presents are now gone. Instead, the jolly man’s bag of gifts was replaced with half the inventory from Best Buy. The DVD is my only salvation in the gift-giving process, but even then, that present is becoming even harder to give at my household.

We own so many DVDs I think “Gigli” is on the most-wanted list.

I’m OK with single life this month because finding a Christmas gift for a girlfriend is, um, difficult. That point was validated during a recent trip to the mall with two friends searching for gifts for their girlfriends.

After pacing from one end of the mall to the other, twice, we finally walked into a J.C. Penney. My friends were going to buy jewelry.(I’ll leave the names anonymous, just in case.)

“I’m getting my girlfriend a ring with her birthstone in it,” Friend No. 1 announced.

“I’ll get what you’re getting,” Friend No. 2 said.

“Wait, what month is your girlfriend born in?” I asked to Friend No. 2.

“Umm …” No. 2 replied.

Sheesh, if only women liked cashews.

Here’s some shopping tips for last-minute shoppers taken from an Ed Stroligo article from December 2000. The tip sheet is actually for buying computer accessories, but the advice is universal.

1) Figure out what you want to buy and stick to it: This means don’t panic. If you go shopping for a jar of cashews and drive home on a steam tractor, you know something went wrong.

2) Find out how much it’s worth: Receiving the “Gigli” DVD would be bad enough, but having them find out you paid $50 for it would make it even worse.

3) Stick to the game plan: Don’t spend thousands of dollars on a new Mustang when a toy car version would just do.

4) Don’t wait until the 24th: Ha.

As for me, I might heed the above advice. I might not, but I envy the days when a Pokemon doll or a Britney Spears CD would make the grade.

Although I dislike the long lines and rush of holiday shopping as much as the next guy, I genuinely want to find the right gift for my family and friends. Practical. Entertaining. Not Gigli.

Yet, it’s that pursuit toward the perfect gift I will battle. It’s like taking a calculus test without a calculator or a reading test with a blindfold. It’s baffling, perplexing.

Hell, it’ll even make a man go nuts.