Now that it’s officially November, it’s time to switch out our “spooky” Halloween decor for our jolly holiday decor. Here’s what you can do to make your apartment stand out this season.
1. Buy a mini Christmas tree.
Nothing says “holiday season” like a mini Christmas tree in the living room! Even if you don’t necessarily celebrate Christmas, it’s perfectly fine to put up a non-denominational tree somewhere in the apartment. You and your roomies could decorate it with photos of celebs, friends, pets, etc. to personalize it and make it special to your place. (For example, my roommates and I have a mini Christmas tree topped with a photo Beyonce as it’s star!)
If you and your roommates are big into Christmas, feel free to purchase cute stockings at the dollar store and hang them up around your tree! (Bonus points if you fabric paint your names onto them.)
2. Put up fairy lights.
In addition to a mini tree, fairy lights are perfect for livening up any space, especially when the holidays roll around. Plus, you can put them almost anywhere and they come in a wide variety of colors. White fairy lights will give your apartment a classy, warm vibe, whereas multi-colored lights will seem more festive and fun. It is totally up to the preferences of you and your roomies.
3. Cut out paper snowflakes.
You can cut them out individually or make a string of them, but paper snowflakes are a cheap and easy way to make your apartment more festive. There are numerous tutorials on how to make different styles, so plan a roomie craft night and get festive! You only need a few pair of scissors, blank paper, and your favorite holiday tunes.
Also, if you’re planning to decorate before Thanksgiving, hand turkeys are also a must. You can put them up around the apartment or use them as cute door decs!
4. Purchase winter scents from Bath & Body Works.
My favorite Bath and Body Works products are their amazing Wallflowers. If you’re unfamiliar with these, you start by choosing a cute plug for the wall. The next step is choosing your favorite scent to put into it. One Wallflower is enough to make the common areas of your apartment smell like the holidays for an entire month, so it might be a good idea to stock up on one or two if this idea interests you! For how well the Wallflowers work, they are not too bad price-wise. The very basic wall plugs cost about $5 and each scent refill is $3.50. A festive smelling apartment is worth it!
5. Add a wreath.
If you want to be the best-decorated apartment on your hall, either purchase or make a holiday wreath for your front door. Like your tree, you can personalize your wreath to represent your roomies’ interests. There are tons of wreath DIYs out there, so if you’re looking to save money or add an activity to your craft night, hit up sites like Pinterest for ideas/how-to’s.
Don’t forget, exams end the first week of December. If you want to get the most out of your holiday decorations, there’s no better time to starting decorating than right now.
[Photos courtesy of Lindsay Baker]