Growing up, one could enjoy the holidays with a cup of hot chocolate in hand and fuzzy socks on feet — all from the comfort of home. Now, at college, we’re forced to get in the holiday spirit while confined in our shoebox-like dorm room until we’re off for break.
And honestly, it’s not as jolly.
Watching Christmas movies isn’t the same when they’re on a 15-inch Macbook. Eating holiday cookies isn’t the same when they’re bought from the campus grocery store. Listening to festive holiday songs isn’t the same when they can’t be belted out with your family. All in all, the holiday season at college seems like a pretty big bummer.
But it doesn’t have to be. Your December shouldn’t have to be full of disappointment and boredom. In fact, you should be blasting Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” and eating gingerbread cookies like there’s no tomorrow.
Yes, getting in the holiday spirit is definitely more challenging when away from home, so a good start is to make your dorm room look and feel as much like home as possible. By adorning your dorm room with holiday cheer, you’ll be forced into a merry attitude. I mean, it’s kind of hard to stay upset when surrounded by candy canes and shades of bright red and green. Here are some essential dorm decor ideas to get you in the holiday spirit.
String Lights…Everywhere
You can never have enough string lights. Ever. String lights are a dorm essential all throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season. Whether you hang them over your bed, around your desk, or literally everywhere, they’re sure to add a little holiday cheer to your miniscule dorm room.
Mason Jars
No one has ever died from a lack of mason jars (yet), but I’m not taking any chances. For a holiday flare, all you have to do is add some glitter or paint your jars gold, red, or green and there you have it: the perfect decoration. An added bonus, mason jars are ideal for storing your favorite holiday Hershey Kisses or M&Ms. You know, the ones you’re going to binge eat up until finals.
DIY Pine Cone Tree
Tired of being basic this holiday season? Take the classic miniature Christmas tree to the next level with a pine cone tree — because that’s a thing now. All you need is a styrofoam cone, loads of pine cones, and some sort of needle or needle-like object. Glue the non-pointed side of the needle to the pinecone and insert the pine cone and needle into the styrofoam. Repeat this step until the entire styrofoam cone is covered in pine cones. This decoration is simple and cheap to make, and certainly shows more effort and creativity than your everyday Christmas tree decorated with cheap, plastic red and green ornaments.
DIY Wreaths
Classic evergreen wreaths are a thing of the past. Instead, make your own by purchasing a styrofoam wreath at your local craft store and brace yourself for the endless crafting possibilities. With these, you can glue ornaments, pine cones, garland, or literally anything you can think of. Need more inspo? You can look up ideas for DIY wreaths on Pinterest and discover a world of different ideas.
It’s pretty hard to be sad when surrounded by candy canes and people in Santa costumes. Okay, the last part is kind of weird, but you get my drift.
Yes, I know it can be hard to get into the holiday spirit with classes everyday and deadlines fast approaching. String lights and mason jars won’t erase your day-to-day responsibilities, but they surely will make it a bit easier to find that jolly attitude that comes along with the holiday season. Until it’s time to pack up and go home for the holiday break, break out the fuzzy socks and put on Dr.Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – even if it’s on your small Macbook screen.