Deck the dorm halls: Turn your floor into a family this holiday season
By: Allison Marino
Issue date: 12/4/09 Section: Features
Every year, my family goes to the parking lot in front of our local tennis center and picks out a tree from the local Boy Scouts troop. We tie the tree on top of our trusty Honda Pilot to bring it home and decorate it.
At first, I had some difficulty adjusting to the idea of not being with my family to pick out our tree this year. But with a little help from my roommate, creating a dorm that accurately reflects the holiday spirit has been extremely easy and relatively inexpensive. Here are some tips to transform your own room into a winter wonderland:
Buy a tree. Local stores such as Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree have a fine selection of artificial trees. Although my tree is from Target (something I picked up at home), you can find a whole slew of trees, toppers and ornaments. A tree no larger than three feet should be fine, but if you feel the need to go larger, be my guest. Just remember that string lights aren't allowed in the dorms.
Get some relatively inexpensive wrapping paper and ribbon. My mom always tells me the story of when she covered her entire dorm room door in wrapping paper and tied it with a big bow. Several girls on my floor have decorated similarly, adding their own personal touches. Be sure to throw a ribbon or some little bows into the mix to make it seem like you're opening a present every time you enter the room.
Personalize your decorations. The possibilities are endless. Get stockings or Santa hats and write your names on them. Hang ornaments or homemade snowflakes above your door with holiday messages. If you feel really creative, post a holiday song of the day on your door. Ours always have a puzzle with drawings that relate to the song.
Find some garland. Garland always seems to make things more festive, and Dollar Tree has some really nice garland for a great price. Drape some fake evergreen garland intertwined with red tinsel on your door, or use fake holiday lights. Be sure you don't get the real deal though - having live trees or garland in the residence halls violates housing policies.
Decorate your hall. Our cleaning lady started the process for us by purchasing cute wreaths to hang between the doors and artificial trees to fill the bathroom. But you can even take it a step further. Hang small stockings by each floor mate's door and surprise them with candy and other treats. If you have a study room on your floor, pool funds to buy a big tree and leave presents for each other underneath it.
Play holiday music to get into a festive spirit. Someone on your floor, like me, is bound to have a huge selection of the finest holiday hits. If not, use your laptop to stream festive music from a local radio station. Warning: Be prepared for people to sing along with their favorite hits.
Get your hall together to celebrate. A girl on my floor came up with the great idea to organize a holiday get-together during finals. We even planned a white elephant gift exchange with items that cost less than $10. The event, complete with pizza and cookies, provides an opportunity to bond with floor mates and take a breather from finals.
Create the feeling of a home away from home with these tips and make your floor your family this holiday season. Sure it may be as dysfunctional as a real family at times, but you're stuck with them for at least one more semester.
- Marino is a freshman from Winnetka, Ill. with an undeclared major. She is a staff writer for The DePauw.
features@thedepauw.com
At first, I had some difficulty adjusting to the idea of not being with my family to pick out our tree this year. But with a little help from my roommate, creating a dorm that accurately reflects the holiday spirit has been extremely easy and relatively inexpensive. Here are some tips to transform your own room into a winter wonderland:
Buy a tree. Local stores such as Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree have a fine selection of artificial trees. Although my tree is from Target (something I picked up at home), you can find a whole slew of trees, toppers and ornaments. A tree no larger than three feet should be fine, but if you feel the need to go larger, be my guest. Just remember that string lights aren't allowed in the dorms.
Get some relatively inexpensive wrapping paper and ribbon. My mom always tells me the story of when she covered her entire dorm room door in wrapping paper and tied it with a big bow. Several girls on my floor have decorated similarly, adding their own personal touches. Be sure to throw a ribbon or some little bows into the mix to make it seem like you're opening a present every time you enter the room.
Personalize your decorations. The possibilities are endless. Get stockings or Santa hats and write your names on them. Hang ornaments or homemade snowflakes above your door with holiday messages. If you feel really creative, post a holiday song of the day on your door. Ours always have a puzzle with drawings that relate to the song.
Find some garland. Garland always seems to make things more festive, and Dollar Tree has some really nice garland for a great price. Drape some fake evergreen garland intertwined with red tinsel on your door, or use fake holiday lights. Be sure you don't get the real deal though - having live trees or garland in the residence halls violates housing policies.
Decorate your hall. Our cleaning lady started the process for us by purchasing cute wreaths to hang between the doors and artificial trees to fill the bathroom. But you can even take it a step further. Hang small stockings by each floor mate's door and surprise them with candy and other treats. If you have a study room on your floor, pool funds to buy a big tree and leave presents for each other underneath it.
Play holiday music to get into a festive spirit. Someone on your floor, like me, is bound to have a huge selection of the finest holiday hits. If not, use your laptop to stream festive music from a local radio station. Warning: Be prepared for people to sing along with their favorite hits.
Get your hall together to celebrate. A girl on my floor came up with the great idea to organize a holiday get-together during finals. We even planned a white elephant gift exchange with items that cost less than $10. The event, complete with pizza and cookies, provides an opportunity to bond with floor mates and take a breather from finals.
Create the feeling of a home away from home with these tips and make your floor your family this holiday season. Sure it may be as dysfunctional as a real family at times, but you're stuck with them for at least one more semester.
- Marino is a freshman from Winnetka, Ill. with an undeclared major. She is a staff writer for The DePauw.
features@thedepauw.com
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