Christmas is right around the corner now, in fact, it’s less than a month away. Some of us probably have our decorations up and are already in the holiday spirit. Others, however, might be stressing out about how to decorate for it in such small living spaces. Let’s face it, student apartments aren’t that big, and if you have multiple roommates you might not even be able to decorate the main living space. If you only have a limited area to decorate this holiday season, then this is the article for you. I am going to tell you six ways that you can decorate your small living space to make it feel festive this holiday season.
1. Small Christmas Trees
Christmas trees are the most traditional way to decorate for Christmas. Many of you might be asking how the hell you are supposed to fit a tree into your small living space and still have it be functional. I am here to tell you that it is possible. I have managed to make my small bedroom look like it is exploding with festivity, and that includes having a tree. There are a ton of 4ft trees that take up less space in a room and still serve the intended purpose. I have one in my room and I love it. It allows me to decorate the tree like I would have done with the larger one my family has, and yet it doesn’t take up the whole room. Some great ones can be found at Walmart, but I got mine from Michaels and it comes pre-lit. The best news of all is that they are fairly affordable as well. I got mine a few years ago for about $40 but they go on sale all the time. Another great idea is to have a tree that can fit onto a ledge that you might have in your room or one that fits onto your desk or side table. I have one on my side table and it really helps add to the room without taking up a ton of space.
2. Garland
Garlands are another great way to spruce up a room without taking up any space. The great news about this tip is that garlands can be bought just about anywhere during the holiday season, including the Dollar Store if you’re really in a pinch. I put a garland on my shelves, circle it around my candles from Bath and Body Works and I even weaved it around the bottom of my T.V. This can be placed anywhere that you have room or anywhere that you feel just isn’t festive enough to you. There are also different kinds of garlands that you can get and some come pre-decorated.
3. Blankets & Pillows
I LOVE decorating my room during the holiday season with festive blankets and pillows. On my last trip to Michaels, I picked up two pillows for the holiday season to decorate my bed with. They were on sale too! I promise this article is not sponsored by Michaels; I just happen to have a shopping problem at this store around this time of year. This may not be for everyone, however, when you decorate your bed with pillows and blankets, it doesn’t take up any extra space in your room. I think that this is one of the best ways, aside from a mini-Christmas tree, to decorate a bedroom for the holidays. I’ll link the pillows I picked up below, as well as a few that I wanted to get but had to stop myself from buying.
Pillows:
Peppermint Lane Red and White Snowflake
4. Lights
This is another item that is easy enough to find. Most places have lights, especially around this time of year. I think it is really cute when people have lights around the walls in their bedroom. If you have LED lights in your room already then, an easy solution would be to change the colours to Christmas colours or just keep them a simple white. I think that fairy lights would also give a nice, festive feeling to a room and would take up no space in the room. If you are able to decorate outside and live in a house or have a balcony, then I highly recommend placing them outside for everyone to see as well.
5. Stockings
Stockings are another traditional Christmas item that makes any room feel festive while taking up no space in the room. These can be hung on the wall, off of a bedpost or on pretty much any surface with the help of a command hook. These are a great way to not only decorate your room for the holidays but to also personalize how you do this. You can get a stocking with your initial on it or you can get one that matches the theme and aesthetic you are using to decorate the rest of your room. These can be found at Walmart, Michaels, the Dollar Store or pretty much any other home décor or craft store. Call me crazy, but I even have one for my cats.
Stockings:
6. Flowers
You may be wondering how flowers play into decorating for Christmas. I think that poinsettias are a great way to make a room festive. However, you do have to be careful with them if you have a dog or cat since they are mildly toxic to these animals. As long as you have a little bit of space on a table or shelf and it is out of reach of pets, then these plants make a great addition to any room. These are sold at Walmart, Home Depot, Sobeys and pretty much every gardening store. A nice bonus is that they are typically not very pricey.
Christmas shouldn’t be a stressful time, it’s a time meant to be spent with family and friends. This might be a little bit different this year given that we’re in the middle of a pandemic. This doesn’t mean that you can’t decorate the space around you still. Student living spaces aren’t the biggest, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t decorate for the holidays in small, simple and generally inexpensive ways. Happy holidays everyone!