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Guide to Decorating Your College Home For The Holidays

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

The holiday season is upon us. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Year’s, a combination of these or none of these, you can decorate your home away from home to fit the season!

Personally, I am Jewish, but I am a fan of celebrating Christmas too! Furthermore, I live in a single-room dorm, so I don’t have a lot of space, but I make it work! My roommates and I put an inclusive wreath on our door that represents both Christmas and Hanukkah. In our living room, there is a small tree (about 4 feet tall) with all sorts of ornaments, both Hanukkah-related and Christmas-related. Moreover, I keep my main menorah there. Furthermore, we added more string lights and hanging holiday decor to our windowsill and TV stand.

I always start by adding some holiday-themed lights to my room. I have green string lights, so that makes it a great fit for my space. Moreover, I had a mini red stocking that I usually put on my door handle just to add a pop of spirit. On my windowsill, I have a small (about 1-ft tall) Christmas tree that has lights and I put my menorah there as well with candles and a lighter.

Around my room, I try to have other small trinkets. For example, I have a snow globe I put on the upper part of my desk. In another way, I have a small decorative ornament-type trinket that has a mistletoe attached. I hang this up above my door entryway. In another way, I put up some blue and silver garland around my window to add more Hanukkah-related decor. In a like manner, I have a small trinket that has a collection of dreidels hanging on it, that I put on the wall beside my bed.

I also have green plaid sheets and a red throw blanket that I put on my bed to really get into the holiday spirit. In a similar way, I also have some Hanukkah-themed throw pillows that I like to toss there. This is the spot where I watch all my favorite holiday movies. Might as well make it cozy!

I like to have candles in my room, so I have some holiday-scented ones that I also put on the upper part of my desk. Some scents of mine include ‘Tis the Season, Vanilla Bean Noel, Christmas Cookie, Gingerbread, Peppermint Sugar Cookie and Merry Cookie. I put the snow globe in the middle and put the candles surrounding it, all in a row.

Relating to the lovely wintery and holiday scents, I have a holiday-themed air freshener plugged in in my room to really embody a holiday spirit!

Do what you can in your space to make yourself feel more at home! This is just what I did in my home! If you celebrate no holidays, you can never go wrong with adding some lights to your home! With the sun setting earlier, it’s a great idea to add some light and color to your home.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and find joy, peace and comfort in the cold!

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Sarah Kahn

Illinois '25

My name is Sarah Kahn and I am a Junior at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign! I am studying Information Sciences, along with pre-med. I love to play tennis, sing, listen to music, and spend time with my friends! I also love to paint and be creative in a multitude of outlets :) I really love all things related to self-care, wellbeing, and makeup! I have always been interested in these things and prioritized them into my daily routine.