With finals week fast approaching, stress is inevitable. It can be easy to forget about the impending holiday season when all you can think about is acing your exams, but consider taking a break this weekend to celebrate the Holiday with your friends to detox and destress from all the work you have – or maybe haven’t – put in during reading week!
1. Ginger Bread House Decorating! One of the best Holiday traditions out there, mostly because it is both fun and edible. They sell kits at CVS that aren’t too pricy, and you’ll have all the materials you need without having to bake anything. Gather up a group of friends and make things interesting by having a competion! Give everyone 15 minutes on the clock, and see how good of a Ginger Bread House they can make in a short amount of time. Winner gets first dibs on eating the best looking pieces of everyone’s house.
2. Christmas Wreaths. Are you and your roommate missing home especially badly with the Holidays right around the corner? Spice up your door with some holiday door decorations! Get green and red construction paper from the store, cut out a wreath shaped circle from the green construction paper. Tie the red ribbon into a bow, and tape it onto the paper wreath. Now take the red construction paper and cut out circles like they’re ornaments, but write something you love about your roommate on each one, or something you’re looking forward to doing when you get home. If you’re feeling especially nostalgiac, leave a sharpie and extra “ornaments” taped to your door and let anyone who walks by contribute. It could be really cool to see different people’s ideas!
3. Decorating Ornaments! If you are really committed to Christmas crafts, ride share to MIchael’s with your friends and get some ornaments than you can draw or paint on, or the clear ones you can fill with whatever you want by opening them up. Some cool ideas might be filling clear ornaments with a kaleidascope of paint, or drawing cute Christmas themed images on more frosted looking ornaments. To each their own! Pick up a tiny tree to put them all on if you want – or buy some bubble wrap to take them home so you can put them up there. That way, when you miss your college friends, you can look at your tree at home and remember decorating with them.
4. Christmas Cards. This one is simple. All you really need is markers and printer paper, but you can get more creative supplies if you feel like spending the money. Make Christmas Cards with your friends just for fun, or head down to your nearest Red Cross office and participate in Holidays for Heroes, where you can send Christmas cards to the men and women fighting overseas. Either is a fun day to spend with friends.
5. Paper Snowflakes! As a kid, my favorite thing to do come holiday season was to cut out paper snowflakes. Just fold a piece of paper into a triangle or square, and cut random designs out of the creases. Unfold and voila! You have a snowflake. Tape them up on your wall or door for some extra special decoration. Hang them by string lights and you’ll have yourself a winter wonderland!
You don’t have to do all these crafts, or even one, but think about taking a break with friends this weekend to just enjoy all the Holidays have to offer. After all, ‘Tis the Season!