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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hamline chapter.

When it comes to the holidays, decorating is without a doubt my favorite part. Halloween also happens to be my favorite holiday, which makes decorating this time of year even more exciting! Over the past few years I have realized it’s a bit more difficult to decorate when you’re in a college dorm. To help make decorating for the holidays a bit easier, I have put together some Halloween decor ideas. I have also included some of the decorations that I have put out in my dorm in hopes of sparking a little inspiration! 

One of the best places for decorations in your dorm is on your door because there is so much space that is not being used; it’s basically a blank slate. When it comes to decorating my door, I usually go for a garland of some sort to be the main piece and then place some simple, smaller decorations to complement the garland. This year I chose to drape a “spooky cloth” over my door and I added a few paper bats as well. I really love decorating my door for the holidays, as it’s the first thing I see when going into my room, and other people who live on my floor get to enjoy it, and hopefully, it gets them into the holiday spirit as well.  

Halloween Door
Original photo by Olivia Brandt

Speaking of doors, the doors on your closet are also a fantastic place to add some spooky decor. For decorating my closet doors, I use paper decorations that you can stick onto surfaces. Some paper decorations that I think are perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit are bats, pumpkins, skeletons, and cats. The top of your closet is also a great place for decorations. This year I used some orange, green, and purple string lights, a paper ghost, and some mini Jack-O-lantern candy buckets. I placed flickering tea lights inside the buckets to simulate real Jack-O-lanterns, like we had at home every Halloween. Using string and tea lights when decorating is a great idea because they give you the option to flick off your bright overhead light and unwind with some calming, dim lights.  

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Halloween Wardrobe
Original photo by Olivia Brandt

I did a little extra thing this year that I hadn’t thought of doing before. I decided to divert from a classic Halloween vibe with pumpkins and ghosts, to a more elegant yet spooky vibe and I absolutely love it. I went to my local dollar store and purchased a spooky hollowed-out book, mini skull buckets, and more flickering tea lights. I put them together along with a few other things I already had in my dorm and set up a witch-themed area in the corner of one of my shelves. I really like this one because it is a very small area, but still makes a spine-tingling statement. The flickering of the tea lights also makes this a very relaxing addition to any room.

Halloween Shelf
Original photo by Olivia Brandt

There are many ways to get into the holiday spirit, and decorating is one of them. I really hope these pictures and suggestions sparked a little bit of inspiration for decorating your room for Halloween, if you choose to do so. Halloween is a wonderful holiday to have fun with friends and family, but of course the holidays are changing this year. Enjoy your Halloween, but please do so safely.

Olivia Brandt

Hamline '20

Olivia is a recent graduate of Hamline University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology as well as a minor in Public Health Science.
Kat McCullum

Hamline '21

English major with Creative Writing tendencies