El McCabe

Staff Writer

With Christmas and Winter Break just around the corner, it is time to get in the proper holiday spirit! For many students, it can be sad not to be home for the decorating and preparing aspect of the season; however, there are many things that can be done on campus to make up for this.

One way of bringing the holiday spirit and cheer to life on campus is the old standby of decorating your dorm room. In college, your dorm room is essentially your home, and bringing cheer to such a small area can actually make a world of difference. Imagine walking into your room every day during finals week to a beautifully decorated mini-Christmas tree or a menorah. There is no chance that seeing that small Christmas tree, menorah, snowman, holiday lights, etc. will not bring a smile to your face. You will also be the envy of all your friends in the dorm for having the most festive living space of all.

Another fun activity you can do to get into the holiday spirit is bake. During the holiday season at my house, there are dozens upon dozens of baked goodies everywhere. Fortunately, baking is possible on campus and these same delicious treats can be made just about anywhere there is an oven. It is proven that baking and cooking are good stress relievers that can serve as fun (and delicious) study breaks during finals. There is truly no better way to make new friends and bring in the holiday spirit than to bake a tray full of cookies and share them with everyone.

Finally, starting a Secret Santa gift exchange or making holiday cards is another way to spread holiday cheer on campus. Rather than buying a bunch of small and meaningless gifts for all your friends, Secret Santa is a great way to put a lot of thought into one gift without breaking the bank. Secret Santa is always fun because it is exciting trying to guess the person who has you and thinking of creative gifts for your person. It also avoids the awkward moment when someone buys you a gift unexpectedly and you have nothing to give him or her, and vice versa. Similarly, handing out holiday cards or making them from scratch is a personal and thoughtful way of wishing your friends a wonderful holiday break. Such a small gesture of giving someone a card can bring a smile to his or her face and truly bring in the spirit of the season of giving.

It is more than possible to spread holiday cheer during these few remaining weeks on campus. Bringing the aspects of home to campus during the holiday season can help you get through the stress of finals and motivate you more than ever. Sometimes it only takes a small gesture to get you and everyone around you in the spirit of the season.