A slight chill has crept into the air, the baristas at Starbucks are once again doling out peppermint lattes, and last week there was pumpkin pie in Bruff. Tulane, the holiday season is among us. Thanksgiving break is less than two weeks away, and many students have already started looking forward to a long weekend at home. However, if you’re spending November 22 on campus, or if you just can’t wait to instill a little cheer, here are a few tips to bring the holidays to New Orleans.
1. Apparently, the key to obtaining the holiday vibe in the Big Easy is through your nose. Scientists claim smell is the sense most strongly connected to memory, so get out there and buy some scents you associate with the holiday season. I personally am drawn to such festive fragrances as peppermint bark, pecan pie, and warm maple sugar. However, if your home always smells like “Island Breeze” around this time of year, then go do your thing and engulf your room in the scents of coconut and tropical flowers. I recommend candles if you live off campus, but if you are currently residing in a dorm Febreeze will have to do.
2. Although scent may be the most important sense in regards to memory, taste is the most important sense for many of us in regards to the holiday season. The vast and delicious spreads of food present at festive gatherings is one of the most integral and exciting parts of the holiday season. However, if you’re spending Thanksgiving at Tulane, there is no need to sulk in your room while daydreaming about your mom’s to-die-for cranberry sauce. Treat yourself to a dinner out on Thanksgiving, and buy a pumpkin pie to stash in your dorm room. Honestly, you probably remember the cranberry sauce as better than it actually is.
3. Okay, I suppose family and loved ones are pretty important to the holiday season too. If you are traveling home for the holidays, cherish your time with the ones you haven’t seen in awhile. If you’ll be spending thanksgiving at Tulane, spray some of that new peppermint Febreeze, get out a fork and the pumpkin pie, and start up a Skype session.
Happy Thanksgiving, collegiettes!