This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wash U chapter.
There is no better way to get into the holiday mood, besides listening to Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You on repeat (guilty as charged), than to come home to a room decked out to the nines in twinkling lights, greenery, and festive cheer. As college students, we have limited funds and limited physical space to present and to store these seasonal items, so here are some tips and items that have the desired jolly effect without breaking the bank.
- There is no such thing as too much tinsel. When your friends and suitemates walk into your common room, they should be instantly blinded with the sheer amount of shine and glitter. If they can’t see anything, then you have successfully achieved the quintessential holiday look.
- Appropriately colored candy is a must. It’s inexpensive, it’s readily available, and it attracts people into your room to view the holiday splendor. M&Ms makes red, white, and green candies, as well as white, blue, and yellow packs. Put them in a festive bowl or a clear cup for an instant focal piece on your coffee table or shelf.
- Hang multi-colored ornaments with clear fishing line from the ceiling at different lengths. Try to find shatterproof ones so that you don’t step on shards of glass if an ornament falls and breaks on the ground.
- Take a suitemate holiday card, email it to your friends and family, maybe even make it your Facebook profile picture, and hang it on your common room wall. Tape twinkling lights around the frame to festively draw attention to the lovely ladies that live in your suite.
- A simple, inexpensive, and jolly idea is to go outside and look for pinecones on the ground. Dip the cones in glue and roll them on a plate filled with gold and silver glitter. All you need to purchase are the sparkles and the rest is free thanks to good ole mother nature.
- It’s time to revisit kindergarten and cut out paper snowflakes. Take white paper, fold it in interesting ways, and begin cutting small incisions. Aren’t you nostalgic already? Like the ornaments, hang the snowflakes with clear fishing line at different heights. Soon your room and/or common room will begin to look like a winter wonderland.
Happy decorating and Happy Holidays!
Image courtesy of Funnysnap.com