Although small hints of the winter holiday season have been creeping up since Halloween, Thanksgiving is over and holiday decorations have officially taken over. Soon you’ll be in full blown panic mode trying to cram for your calculus exam, or write a research paper you’ve completely forgotten about until the very last moment. Before all of those responsibilities come charging into your life, you might want to consider adding a little holiday cheer into your dorm room to ease your stress level.
As a side note, holiday decorations aren’t for everyone, so you should definitely double check with your roommate if you have one to make sure decorations won’t bother them. In addition, you should consult your residence hall assistant to clarify rules regarding decorations. No need to bother hanging up fun decorations if your dorm has rules saying the decorations are considered safety hazards. Use common sense when you’re hanging the decorations and make sure not to do any damage to the room with tape or tacks. Having to pay for the damage from holiday decorations at the end of the year would certainly cancel out any of the holiday cheer you spent time spreading. Listed below are some fun holiday decorations you could consider putting up in your dorm room:
Artificial Tree
Having a real tree to decorate your space could be against the rules, but an artificial tree is a great back-up plan. They come in all different shapes and sizes so you can pick one to match the space you’re decorating. Some artificial trees even come pre-decorated so you just have to pull it out of the box and plug it in!
Ornaments
You can get ornaments to decorate your tree, or even just to hang up around your dorm room. Buying expensive ornaments might not be a smart idea, but you could always make your own if you’re crafty, or buy some school-themed ornaments from your college bookstore.
Paper Snowflakes
You probably spent time in elementary school perfecting the skill of making paper snowflakes, so why not revisit the good ole days? Fold a piece of paper two or three times, cut out little shapes, and when you open it back up you’ll have a paper snowflake. To conserve paper for the snowflake decorations you should use old homework or papers you don’t need anymore.
Mistletoe
Hanging mistletoe as a decoration in your dorm room can be funny. Be careful though, if you hang it over your door you’d have to kiss all your guests. Choose the location wisely for this decoration!
Stockings
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aving stockings in your dorm room are a nice touch. You could personalize the stockings for both you and your roommate, and you could even have one for a guest who stops by frequently. Don’t forget to put a small trinket in the stocking too!
Holiday Lights
There are all sorts of holiday light decorations that you could incorporate into your dorm room. Holiday lights are made in fun shapes, like beer cans, or you can stay the more traditional route and go with plain colors. Make sure you check your dorm policies, hang them safely and plug them into a surge protector just in case.
No matter which decorations you choose to include in your own little cheerful room, sticking to your college rules and being religiously sensitive are both very important. Be sensitive to other students’ religious beliefs and be tasteful if displaying decorations like a Hanukkah menorah, nativity set, or other expressly religious symbol since the holiday season does include many different celebrations.
Do you decorate your dorm for the holidays? Have you ever gotten in trouble for decorating? What’s your favorite holiday? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comment box below!