The end of fall semester can be an extremely stressful time. During this miserable stretch of non-stop studying, frenzied essay writing and library overnights, the holidays are the light at the end of tunnel. The holidays mean family, friends, good food and time to sleep, all of which are entirely absent in a college student’s life during the last few weeks of fall semester. For me, thinking about the holidays can be a sort of survival tactic during finals season. Decorating your apartment or dorm at school is the perfect way to give yourself that warm fuzzy holiday feeling even when you’re in the depths of the study season. No test feels too overwhelming when you’re sitting under white twinkling lights with the smell of pine trees in the air. Here are some simple decorating ideas to put you in the Holiday mood.
Scented Air Fresheners/ Candles
Filling your dorm room or apartment with the scents of the holidays is one the best ways to get you in the spirit. Candles aren’t an option in dorm rooms, but fragrance wall plug-ins and seasonal scented Febreze come in a number of holiday scents, like Evergreen & Snow and Apple Spice. These products are widely available in grocery stores and department stores.
Door Decorations
For college students living in a dorm, a well-decorated door can put your whole hall in the holiday spirit. Use wrapping paper to cover your door and add ribbon to make it look like a present. Cheap wreaths and paper snowflakes also make cute door decorations.
Holiday Lights
Stringing up lights throughout your room can create the perfect holiday atmosphere. The dollar store off of East Campus has cheap 100-packs of white lights that can transform even the drabbest of dorm rooms into a winter wonderland when the lights are off.
Paper Snowflakes
Making paper snowflakes was the go-to holiday activity in elementary school, so why waste all that time you spent perfecting your skills? Fold up a piece of paper a few times, cut out little shapes and voila – when you open it you’ll have a snowflake perfect for hanging from the ceiling or in the windows.
Holiday Window Stickers
Stores like Target and Wal-Mart sell lots of different sets of gel window stickers that work for any holiday. My set has a Santa Clause, an adorable little penguin and lots of candy canes. These stickers are perfect for dorm rooms because they come right off without leaving a mark.
Mini Tree/Menorah
A room can’t really be considered decorated for the holidays without a Christmas tree or Menorah. Artificial trees and plastic menorahs are widely available in a variety of sizes, and can be reused year after year. Some of the trees even come pre-decorated with ornaments and lights, so all you have to do is plug them in!
Don’t let the stress of finals take away from what is truly the best time of the year. Decorating your dorm or apartment can give you that happy, cozy holiday feeling when you really need it most. You shouldn’t have to wait until the end of the semester to enjoy the holidays, and if you decorate now you won’t have to!