The University of Ottawa’s Guide to…. Decorating for the Holidays
There is nothing better to get you in the holiday spirit then decorating your house, apartment, room or office for the holidays. For those of you that went home for the Holidays and still need to decorate more, or if you are staying in Ottawa and finally decided to decorate your house even after Christmas, here are useful tips for you! Decorating for the holidays can be a fun and great way to employ your imagination and a wonderful way to relax after crazy finals! In the spirit of the Holidays, here are some magical decoration ideas for around the home.
Having family and friends over for a Holiday dinner? Shy away from the boring dinner table and spice things up a bit with these great dinner table decorations:
1. Glitter candles: Candles are always a great way to light up the table, but by either purchasing glittery candles, or dipping them in glitter yourself, you can create a dazzling atmosphere for the dinner table. Just make sure not to get any glitter in your food!
2. Pinecone ornaments: The classic winter pinecone adorned in powdered sugar will add some winter spirit to your dinner table.
3. Centre-piece baskets: Filling woven baskets with ornaments, fake fruit, or evergreens can make a wonderful center-piece suitable for the dinner table or anywhere around the house.
More ideas for dinner table decorations can be found at marthstewart.com
What about decorations for around the home? Whether you are having people over or not, decorating your home can put you in the festive spirit !
1. Make your own wreath: Instead of purchasing a plain and generic wreath, make you own! You can adorn it with practically anything from Christmas tree ornaments, fake fruits or dried plants.
2. Suspended ornaments: Christmas trees aren’t the only place where you can display ornaments. If you have a high ceiling, you can group together ornaments and hang them from a curtain rod, or even from the center of the room, creating a Holiday themed chandelier!
3. Lights: There is nothing else than screams the Holidays more than lights. These classic decorations are good for any year, and for any holiday celebration. Relatively cheap to purchase, putting lights up around the home or outside the home is an economical way for students to decorate for the Holidays.
Your room at home does not feel really cozy anymore ? There are plenty of ways to decorate your own room for the Holidays.
1. Paper snowflakes: This arts and crafts project not only serves as a great break from studying, but there are plenty of different shapes and ways you can make paper snowflakes. A simple search on Google or Pinterest will lead to a plethora of paper snowflake ideas. From 3D snowflakes, to origami ones, this practically cost-free Holiday endeavor will leave your room looking magical!
2. Scented candles: While scented candles are good for any time of year, they can create an warm aura in your room that will hopefully put you in your Zen and allow you to concentrate on finals.
3. Mini Christmas tree: If you do celebrate Christmas, there is no better way to bring the spirit of Christmas into your room than purchasing a mini Christmas tree. Only one foot tall, these trees come in numerous colours and designs, have lights and ornaments, and most of all, will keep the Grinch away!
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Quanza or any other Holiday, preparing an important family dinner or simply changing up your decorations around the house post-Christmas for New Years, decorating your home for this season will put you in a festive mood and provide some warmth to your home during a very cold part of the year!
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