The end of the fall semester means two things: students are drowning in massive amounts of assignments and of course CHRISTMAS. In the midst of the stress over memorizing pieces of art work for your upcoming art final and slaving away at your laptop to get that thesis statement for your final paper just right, students like you need to find time to celebrate! One of the best aspects about experiencing life away from home is the feeling of community within college. Preparing for the holidays, for many of us is one of the timeless traditions spent at home with the family. Being away at school until right before Christmas arrives causes us to miss out on these simple pleasures. But that doesn’t mean we can’t recreate it with our ‘family’.
- Decorate your room with twinkling lights, a Christmas tree and even light a candle that smells of pine needles or cookies. Your dorm will feel more like home with a little of the Christmas spirit present.
-  Get a group of friends from your hall together and do a Secret Santa. Hang small stockings on everyone’s doors where little gifts can be secretly placed inside each day for a week. At the end of the week have a party with cookies and Christmas carols where everyone reveals themselves with one final gift.
- Schedule a craft day for your floor to make door decorations and have a contest to see who is the most creative. Â Â The winner gets a batch of homemade cookies of their choice.
- Christmas is a holiday known for its classic movies. Snuggle up one night with mugs of steaming hot chocolate filled with whipped cream and marshmallows galore, and a large bowl of mouthwatering, buttery popcorn for a Christmas movie marathon with friends.
- Get a big group of friends together and have a Christmas feast. Require everyone to bring at least one traditional dish served at their family’s dinner to share with the group. That way a little piece of everyone is present during the meal.
- All dressed up with no place to go? Get fancy with your gal pals and have an elegant evening in.   Wear those high heels that have been collecting dust in your closet for months, plug in that curling iron and rock those bright red lips. Take loads of pictures and spend the night indulging in holiday sweets.
It may be disheartening to be away from home during the Christmas season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring the comforts of home with us. It’ll keep your spirits up as the semester winds down and will give you something to look forward to as you dread the loads of school work ahead of you. Taking the time to celebrate the coming of the holiday will also be a sure fire way to escape from your stresses of the end of the semester when it all becomes overwhelming.   What better way to ring in the season than finding little ways to celebrate?