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Christmas Decorations For Your Dorm

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hamline chapter.

One of the best parts of the holiday season is getting to decorate, especially if you’re living in a small, drab place like a dorm. Decorations for your holiday of choice (mine being Christmas) are a great way to make a dorm a hundred times more exciting. Here are some big and small ways to spice up those off-white walls and that puke-brown carpet.

A tree.

Big or small (or super small), a tree will definitely liven up a dorm room. Target sells them and usually has them on sale throughout the season. Trees can be dressed up with the normal lights and ornaments, or they can be decorated with other fun things like photos! Walgreens almost always has sales running on prints, or photos can be ordered from Free Prints where you only have to pay for shipping.

Stockings for you and your roommate.

Whether it’s a basic stocking or a beauty purchased from Etsy, stockings are a Christmas staple that both you and your roommates need even if there’s not a fireplace to hang it over.

String lights aren’t just for the tree.

Cover the ceiling? String them from your bunk beds? Cover the entire window in them? Spread them all over the floor? Doesn’t matter! The options for where to put these lights are endless. String lights are pretty inexpensive and are super fun year round and especially during the holiday season.

Wreaths for your door.

They are a little pricey, but hanging a wreath on your dorm door is one of the most fun and exciting things your hallway will see this season. There are tons of options in tons of different colors from Amazon and plenty of other places online and in store.

Take it to the next step and wrap your door.

A wreath not good enough for your door? Go crazy and wrap your entire door like it’s a present! This task is a little time consuming but definitely worth it for the excitement and illusion of your room being a gift. Here’s an article explaining what steps need to be taken to make this gift a reality.

DIY it.

Paper snowflakes are therapeutic, inexpensive and fun to make with friends! Basic stockings can be bought used from Goodwill and all the bells and whistles and your name can be added to make it fun and one of a kind. Gingerbread houses and cookie baking are other common but still really fun things to do in the dorm to get in the holiday spirit!

As boring and old as the dorms can be, decorating is both fun to do and a fun way to spice up any room. Along with that, it makes celebrating the holidays on campus that much more fun and exciting. So grab those string lights and eat some candy canes with your friends; tis the season!

Molly is currently a junior at Hamline University who is studying English, Professional Writing and Communications.
Skyler Kane

Hamline '20

Creative Writing Major, Campus Coordinator for Her Campus, and former Editor and Chief for Fulcrum Journal at Hamline University