Students dare to decorate, play holiday music

As “spooky season” has come to an end, the snow has begun to fall and suddenly, the holiday season is upon us. Whether you believe the passing of Halloween means it is time for Thanksgiving or Christmas or neither, it is hard to deny the fact that we are close to the most festive time of the year. Despite living in tight quarters and being away from home, there is no reason not to get in the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you are looking for affordable and easy ways to turn any dorm room, apartment or house into a festive space, look no further.

Christmas Playlist

One of the easiest ways to start off the holiday season is to create a Christmas playlist. Listening to Christmas music instantly changes the ambiance of a setting. No matter your streaming service, a variety of Christmas songs can be found and collaborated to create the ultimate Christmas mix.

Christmas Lights

Decoration-wise, one way to instantly change the mood is to purchase Christmas tree lights to hang up around the room. Nearly every store carries these for under $15 dollars. Whether you are looking for a more classical approach, with some white lights, or a fun and festive look with some colored lights, either can be easily obtained. With some command hooks, it is easy to hang the lights around the outside of your room, instantly changing a room’s mood.

Holiday Scents

Sadly, we know candles are banned in dorm rooms. However, there are plenty of alternatives to make holiday aromas evident in your room. Companies like Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candle sell room sprays, a simple mist that can easily fill your room with holiday scents. With scents like “Frosted Cranberry” and “Holiday Lights,” you are guaranteed to get into the Christmas spirit. Each spray is under ten dollars and will last a while.

Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree is the ultimate symbol of a welldecorated home. Unfortunately, 12 by 12 rooms do not offer much room for a full grown tree. However, mini Christmas trees can easily be set up in any part of a dorm or apartment room. Some alternatives to a tree could include a holiday wreath or even a mistletoe for a fun touch.

Snowflakes

Back in elementary school, one annual craft was making paper snowflakes as a class. This youthful project is an easy way to decorate a room. With command hooks, fishline, paper and scissors, hanging snowflakes from the ceiling can bring a wintery vibe to any room.

Seasonal Coffee

A necessity to any college student is coffee. One way to spruce up the Keurig is with seasonal K-cups. For 16 dollars, Walmart offers a “12 Coffees of Christmas” gift pack. Included are a variety of flavors, such as Jingle Bell Java and Comet’s Caramel. In addition, holiday mugs are a cheap and easy way to add some Christmas spirit to your everyday coffee drinking.

Get Started!

Since Downtown Holland is covered in decor, and the first snow has already hit, preparing for the Christmas season is evidently approaching. With these easy steps, any person can create the ultimate Christmas living space. While some students may be getting into the holiday spirit already, it is perfectly acceptable to wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas. The wintery atmosphere can be avoided for at least another week if you chose to focus on turkies and fall vibes. Furthermore, this will give you something to procrastinate with come the weeks before finals. What better way to distract yourself from the dreaded assignments and exams to come than to go find a Christmas tree, make a playlist, cut out snowflakes and more.

If you do not celebrate Christmas, winter wonderland decorations are just as fun to assemble. This may include snowlakes and string lights hanging around your room. So when you go home next week for Thanksgiving, make sure to raid the holiday decor stash in order to bring some back. This is one way to make your space at college feel more like home.