The start of December means that it’s officially socially acceptable to start doing all things holiday. Because finals week is coming soon, it’s essential to start getting into the holiday spirit before we leave IUP for break. I mean it’s basically a proven fact that being in the holiday sprit will vastly improve your mental health. As college students, most of us live in cramped dorm rooms and apartments. The best way to make your modest room feel like home is with some easy (and affordable) DIY decorations!
1. Get a Christmas Tree
Depending on the space you’re working with, it can be mini or normal sized. If you’re on a budget, an artificial one might be more cost-effective because you can use it in subsequent years. If you feel like a tree is completely out of your budget, then be creative and make a tree out of a stack of bottles, cans, books, boxes, etc. The best part of having the tree is adding decorations to it! This can also be a great bonding activity to do with your roommates.
2. Stringy Lights
If you really want to go all out, add some lights to your Christmas tree. You can also border your entire room with the lights by using command strips. If you’re feeling really creative, spell out festive words like “cheer” to make the lights stand out even more. Depending on the current color scheme of your room, you could get white lights or colorful ones. If you choose neutral colors, you’ll be able to keep them up all year. Stringy lights are especially cheap during the holiday season and can be found at the Dollar Store, Ollies, or Wal-mart. These lights will come in handy when the seasonal depression kicks in during IUP’s excessively long winter.
3. Mistletoe
Put a mistletoe over your door as a festive welcome! You don’t have to kiss everyone that comes through your door—but it definitely gives you an excuse to kiss that special someone you’ve had your eye on lately…
4. Holiday Scents
Holiday scented candles and incense are a cute way to add some holiday cheer to the room while covering up that weird dorm room smell. Pick a few different scents like gingerbread, sugar cookie, and peppermint. Depending on the rules of your building, you could switch out candles and incense with air fresheners.
5. Holiday Wall Decals/Door Decorations
These can easily be found at Michaels and Wal-mart and are sure to add a little extra holiday-cheer to your room. Adding one to your door makes you seem much more welcoming to your neighbors. If you’re feeling like a really good neighbor, you could even add a holiday themed basket to your door filled with cookies, fudge, or chocolate.
In addition to these decorations, you should always have your room stocked up on essential holiday items. To get in the right spirit, you should have hot chocolate at all times—especially for those late night study sessions where all you can think about is the upcoming break. There should always be holiday music playing in the background to really get you in the mood. Some of the best stations on Pandora and Spotify are Mariah Carey Christmas, Backstreet Boys Christmas, and embarrassingly enough—Justin Bieber Christmas. Because as Buddy the Elf once said, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!”