If you know me, you know that I LOVE Christmas. The Christmas season, Christmas movies, Christmas everything.
I especially love decorating for Christmas – but it’s tricky when you have limited space in a dorm room. Luckily for me, I’m no longer living on campus…even though apartments aren’t all that huge, either. Luckily for you, I’ve compiled a list of 5 things to keep in mind when decorating your dorm or apartment for the holidays!
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Set the mood. Most likely, you’ll be decorating as a way to avoid studying for finals (I see you, I see you). Make this time spent worth it: put on some Christmas music, bake some Christmas cookies, use a cinnamon candle or air freshener (candles aren’t allowed in Fordham dorms), wear a santa hat, whatever. It’ll put you in a happy mood while you try to cram a million decorations in a small space!
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Dorms are not big. Apartments aren’t that huge, but dorms are seriously tiny. Try not to overwhelm the space – too many decorations will make your already-small dorm look smaller! Also, keep in mind that you’re likely sharing that space with someone: be courteous to them. Even though you’re essentially a walking gingerbread man during the holiday season, your roommate might not feel so cheery. Don’t let their Scroogie-ness get you down, just be courteous and keep the decorations on your side if they don’t want to participate!
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The dollar store is your best friend. Let’s face it: college kids are broke. You probably don’t have the money to get Tiffany christmas decorations and a solid gold nativity scene. The dollar store located by White Castle on Fordham Road is a great resource: although the quality isn’t the best, it’s cheap as hell! You’re likely going to throw the decorations away at the end of the season (unless you have storage space/a parent willing to bring it home) and you don’t want to have to sacrifice expensive decorations. If the dollar store isn’t for you, check out T.J. Maxx, Burlington, and Walgreens (all located on/directly off of Fordham Road).
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KEEP OFF THE PIPES (and other fire hazard stuff). Seriously. These pipes are not designed to hold weight, and even though those lights and star and mistletoe look super pretty, it’s not worth flooding your dorm room and screwing up the sprinkler system. I know this rule seems dumb, but working pipes are muy importante. Also, I suggest keeping things off the radiator – this seems more common sense-y than factual to me; I don’t think your paper snowflakes spontaneously combusting is very festive.
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Have fun! Finals unfortunately fall smack-dab in the middle of Christmastime. Even so, as Dave Fleischer sang, Christmas comes but once a year – take some time to enjoy it.