Some students may find it difficult to get into the holiday spirit while at school, but changing the decor in dorms may help liven up rooms and lift spirits before the upcoming exams and break.
While students are unfortunately not able to bring in a full-sized tree, I have seen some decorations that would be perfect for getting into the spirit.
Both Trader Joe’s and Giant Eagle have baby-sized Christmas trees with ornaments and a tree skirt included. This could be a perfect way to bond with roommates and an excuse to play some Christmas music.
A few TikToks have come up showing people cutting out snowflakes and stringing them up around their rooms. This is great, as it does not require lights and will not cause any hazards.
Taking a quick trip to the dollar store for some cheap ornaments to hang in windows might also be a fun activity. While there, picking up some command strips and some stockings may also be fun.
This can also create a fun gift-giving activity between students and roommates. Leaving candy in each other’s stockings or having candy in them for friends who visit to take can be cheerful and spread joy.
When I think of the holidays I think of lights. I went out and bought some fake tea light candles and placed them around my room, making a soft glow and giving a dreamy, comfy vibe. My roommates also bought some holiday-themed candy and we decided to do a secret Santa, getting all of us into the giving mood.
The idea of also getting an elf on the shelf was passed around. The plan is to have one of us move him around in different and funny ways to keep spirits light and amuse us each day. While we haven’t quite figured out how we will decide who gets to pose the elf, we are sure it will be a fun activity everyone in the house looks forward to.
I have also decided that our door needs a bit more of a festive look to it, so we added some ornaments with command strips and taped on some candy canes. There has been a felt pumpkin hanging from the door from the previous season that we could not bear to part with, so we added a Santa hat made from paper to give him a jolly look.
While it can be hard to part with some traditions passed down in families (in my case, making cookies or putting up house lights with my parents), the thought that we can make our own with the people we love and meet at school is heartwarming and helps displace the homesick feelings.
The holiday season is about fun and love, and decorating with new friends until we can do the things we love with family makes it easier to bear.
Get creative! It doesn’t always take a lot of money to make a space feel more like home and have some holiday spirit.
