For college students, December means cramming for exams and completing any last-minute final assignments. While the prospect of a few weeks off for break is looming, it can be easy to forget to celebrate the coming holidays. Taking a few minutes to set up some simple, affordable and cute dorm decorations can brighten your dreary dorm room, while giving you some much-needed stress relief from your rigorous study schedule.
Keep It Cool With Your Roommates and Neighbors
Before you begin your holiday decorating project, make sure you check with your roommates and suitemates to be certain they won't mind. Consider cultural differences as you plan your decorating scheme, and be respectful of the wishes of those who share your space.
Also, keep the rules and regulations for decorating your dorm room in mind. Some dorms don't allow candles or limit the number of items you can plug into your electric sockets, so be sure you respect these limits.
If you're going to decorate outside your dorm room, make sure you clear it with anyone who'll share your space.
Tips for Decorating Your Dorm
- In small spaces like dorm rooms and college suites, the trick to decorating well is being efficient. Clutter can kill the festive ambience, so make sure you choose wisely, while deciding both what to use to decorate and where to install your creations.
- Get creative! If your roommates and friends are as stressed as you are about exams, consider launching a dorm-decorating event. Invite them over for cookies and other festive treats, and work together to decorate your dorm. For the art majors and other creative types, consider providing supplies so that you and your friends can make personalized decorations.
- Small, artificial Christmas trees offer an easy, environmentally savvy solution to dorm decorating. You can choose a classic look with white lights, or opt for something that would shock your parents, like a fiber-optic tree or one that plays music. You can add interesting, affordable ornaments, or consider creating or decorating your own.
- Some dorms make exceptions to fire-hazard rules for students celebrating Hanukkah who would like to put up a menorah. Before using your menorah, make sure your dorm allows them, and be safe when lighting your candles. If you aren't allowed to use a menorah in your dorm room, look into where on campus you'll be allowed. Most campuses will designate a space, and you might enjoy lighting your menorah with other students celebrating alongside you.
- If your dormmates (and the campus rules) will allow you to decorate outside your dorm, try wrapping your door in holiday-themed paper. Tie a big bow around it to make it look like a present. You might leave blank note cards and pens or markers by your door to invite friends to leave you a message – but be forewarned that college students are sometimes tempted to vandalize outdoor decorations. It comes with the territory.
- An easy way to decorate without adding to the clutter in small dorm rooms is to hang lights from the ceiling by affixing them to the upper corners of your room. Line the walls or criss-cross the lights across your ceiling. Deck your dorm room walls with damage-free hooks backed by adhesive, so you can easily take down your decorations in the new year without leaving holes.
- Garlands can provide a quick and easy alternative to pricier decorations. Wind some festive red and green garland around your bedposts or curtain rods. Hang it from the ceiling or door frames using damage-free adhesive hooks. Festoon your futon or other furniture to add a splash of color and holiday cheer quickly, and enjoy an equally efficient take-down when it's time to go home for the holidays.
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