There is no doubt that the winter in South Bend is as gloomy as it gets, and with football games being over we find ourselves spending most of our time laying down in our dorms trying to get warm, or getting some work done around campus. When I moved to Saint Mary’s from The SUNSHINE STATE, where the sun is never gone for more than a day my parents warned me of seasonal depression, and suggested I buy a sun lamp for the winter months, but little did they know that the only sunshine I would need in my life were the amazing friends Saint Mary’s has brought me close to.
 As it started to get cold outside, and going out became a hassle, my friends and I started to explore (as Sister Madaleva wanted us to) and figured what the best things to do together were, and here are some of the top inside sunshine methods:
1. A Classic: Move Nights
There is nothing better than getting some futons and chairs together in a room, popping some popcorn, sliding on your PJ’s and watching a chick flick, or a few too many episodes of Gossip Girl while hanging with your favorite gals, and doing facemasks.
2. Host a CO-ED Hot Chocolate Party
What better way to spend a snowy night than sipping on some hot chocolate and dancing with your best gals and pals. Get some music going, borrow a few Keurigs, buy some hot cocoa K-Cups, invite some friends from across the street, and dance all night. Just be sure to check the fire code, so you don’t get in trouble for having too many people in one dorm. (20 people in a triple)
3. Game Night
Get those board games out and let your competitive-inner child come out. Be it Cards for Humanity, Catch Phrase, or even Taboo, any game would give you a reason to laugh and enjoy the night with your friends. Also, you will develop some fun rivalries between your friends that will make games just that much better.
4. Singing in the Shower Who doesn’t love music? And, who doesn’t love hot showers? Mixing these two is the perfect way to bond with your roommates, friends, neighbors, RA’s, and even the nice maintenance ladies. Create a “Singing in the Shower” playlist with your favorite throwbacks, and current jams and sing along with your best friends, and your not so best friends.
Any way you want to spend your nights is a fun night as long as you’re with the people that make you the happiest, and I am so thankful to have my own little rays of sunshine in South Bend.
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