College students know that our small dorm rooms and apartments can make us feel a bit crammed, and it’s slightly tiring to always see the same four walls. So when it feels like time to mix it up a bit, pick your favorite way to decorate for the holidays and go all out. The best part about the dimensions of our rooms is that it doesn’t take too much time, materials or effort to absolutely blow people’s minds with your wintery cheer.
1) The first thing that will help improve your spirits and brighten up the room is if you dress for the role. Find that perfect holiday sweater and rock it. Just like the phrase, “Dress for success” attests, wearing holiday attire makes you more likely to decorate the room with plenty of sparkle. My favorite sweater is the kind with built-in lights.
2) There will have to be lots of lights. Whether tiny, twinkly ones or bigger, multi-colored ones, make sure to border your walls.
3) Next is a classic — the tinsel! Make the room really pop by decorating those standard bulletin boards with a shiny layer. With it, throw up some handmade snowflakes or even some fake snow.
4) There’s also the tree. Lucky for us, trees come in all sizes — from desktop accessory to as high as the ceiling, there’s always a little room to spare for this classic. But if you feel your room shrinking already, there’s an alternative. Simply take the ornaments you would’ve placed on the tree, put them on string and hang them by the window. The light will reflect off them and make them sparkle.
5) Another classic would be the stocking — currently my roommates and I have ours pinned to the walls, but if you really don’t want to sacrifice on tradition, you could attempt to make a fireplace out of cardboard to hang them above.
6) It wouldn’t be the holidays without the sight of wrapped presents. Go ahead and make a secret Santa with your closest friends and put some presents under that tree.
7) Now, since you have the wrapping paper, you could wrap up your bedroom door. This slightly different attempt makes coming home after a long day that much better.
8) And what’s Christmas without a bowl of candy out on the table? Personally, ours will be brimming with those mini candy canes.
9) Now, after all this, if you still don’t feel the holiday spirit throughout your place, try getting the smell of the holidays with candles (if you’re in an apartment), plug-ins or sprays. Cinnamon or any smell related to baking brings to mind the holidays for me.
10) Lastly, get some of those beloved throw pillows. Anything with a reindeer or the words “Fa La La” on it would be perfect. You could even swap out your rug or favorite blankets for some winter wonderland-themed ones.
_Edited by Katherine White | kwhite@themaneater.com_