The holidays are my favorite time of year, mostly due to the lead up to Christmas. At home I was always so excited to bring out all of our Christmas decorations, decorate the tree, and make Christmas cookies whilst listening to Christmas music. With being away at school for the majority of December, I’ve been missing out on those things. But, I made up for it with all of the festivities going on in the city (as I said in my last article, NYC really does go all out for Christmas!). Recently, I’ve been decorating my dorm room to get into the Christmas spirit! With that, I decided to share the 5 ways that I’ve made my dorm more festive for the holidays. Hopefully, this will give you some inspiration for decorating your dorm, too!
1. Fairy Lights
I actually already had fairy lights as a part of my dorm room decorations, but the addition of them will instantly make your room feel more cozy and festive. I bought mine for around $8 at T.J. Maxx before coming to the city, but I know they’re sold at so many different stores, since they’re so popular. If you want to hang them on your wall, just buy some command hooks, stick them on the wall, and then string your lights accordingly. The great thing about the command hooks, is that you can easily take them down without taking off any paint from the wall. And the best thing about hanging the lights, is that you can keep them up year round!
2. (Fake) Wreath & Mini Tree
When I went home for Thanksgiving break, I stocked up on my Christmas decorations for my dorm. Some of the things I bought included: a shiny wreath, a sparkly red bow, a fake mini Christmas tree, and some mini ornaments & garland. Granted, I did buy these from the Dollar Store, but I’m sure there are similar items available in Duane Reed, CVS, or even at the Christmas Markets in the city! These are nice because they’re small, so they don’t take up too much space; and since they’re fake, you can use them year after year!
3. Desktop Decorations
These are some small items for on top of your desk or bureau. Here, I have a clear jar that says “Merry & Bright” on the front, and I’ve filled it with silver, sparkly, pinecones and put a mini silver tree right next to it (both fake, of course). I figured these would be cute decorations because they’re festive, yet they’re very small and easy to move out of the way in case you need more room on your desk or bureau.
4. “Happy Holidays” Mini Signs
When I saw these signs, I knew I had to buy them. Adding them to your wall is so easy; you can just use the command strips/ hooks like I mentioned earlier (I highly recommend getting them for college/ your apartment– not just for hanging Christmas decorations. They come in handy!). All you have to do is place the strip/ hook where you want it to be, press down a little to make sure it’s secure, and hang your sign! These are adorable additions to my room/ apartment, and especially around this time of year, I’m sure you can find some adorable ones in many different stores.
5. Christmas Music
And finally, the simplest one, playing Christmas music throughout your dorm. Whenever I’ve been listening to Christmas music recently, I’ve always been using Spotify since they have so many different playlists and albums to choose from. My favorites are the Christmas Classics playlist & Michael Bublé’s Christmas album – because is it really the Christmas season unless you listen to Michael Bublé’s Christmas album?? I think that the best way to get into the Christmas spirit is by listening to & singing Christmas carols. In the words of Buddy the Elf: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear” (sorry I had too… it’s a classic!). Now you don’t have to go all out like Buddy does, but he has a point: listening and singing along to Christmas music usually does get everyone in the holiday spirit!
Those are the ways I’ve made my dorm more festive for the holidays, so I hope I helped give you some ideas for decorating your dorm. If you have any other ideas on fairly easy and affordable ways to decorate, definitely leave your suggestions down below! Happy Holidays!!