Don’t Let Finals Suck All The Cheer Out of The Holidays

Every year I find myself entering December with the same longing in the pit of my stomach. I see couples holding hands and sharing hot chocolate. All the stores are decked out in twinkling lights and ornaments. Every car that passes has a Christmas tree strapped to the top. And while I want to be home with friends and family, drinking fun holiday drinks and decorating the Christmas tree, I’m stuck in my 4 by 4 cell studying crap I could really care less about.

By Brianna

And with my luck, I always end up with a final on the very last possible day, which has me rushing home on the 23rd and trying to cram all of my holiday activities into 48 hours.

It just isn’t right.

But just because I’m holed up in my dorm studying during the most wonderful time of the year, it doesn’t mean that I (or anyone suffering like me) can’t enjoy a little holiday cheer. Since most of us won’t be seeing much of the world outside of the library over the next few weeks, here are some ways to bring the holidays to us:

Decorate.
Yes you live in a tiny box and chances are your school has 8 million rules about what you can’t bring in to the dorms. But there are still ways to deck out your room for the holidays. The best $15 I have ever spent was on a mini Christmas tree from WalMart. You can also get them at Target and Borders. They come in a variety of colors (of course I bought it in hot pink) and come with the most adorable mini ornaments and tinsel to decorate. If a tree isn’t a thing, why not relive your glory (read: kindergarten) days and make a snowflake chain? It’s super cute and festive, and a fun way to take a break from the studying and recharge that noggin.

Make it smell like home.
One of the best things about the holidays is the smells that come with the season. Mom’s homemade pie floating through the house, the fresh pine coming from your tree in the living room and the spicy potpourri that used to make you gag, but now you secretly miss. You may not be home for the real thing, but you can fake it. Flameless candles and plug-in air fresheners are sold in every drugstore and the winter scents are freakin’ amazing. Glade is seriously your new best friend. Why? Apple Cinnamon, Homemade Gingerbread and Peppermint Crush, are just a few of the reasons. And trust me, studying is so much more bearable with the smell of Christmas overriding the scent of 2 weeks worth of unwashed clothes and the garbage you are too busy to take out.

Secret Santa.
It’s corny, but that’s why we love it. (We also love it because we get to open a present before heading home for the real thing.) It is just so much fun to draw names from a hat and then torture each other trying to guess who has who. Being able to sit around your room and watch everyone open a present totally keeps the holiday cheer alive. Spice up your secret Santa this year but picking a theme. Make it “mixed CD year” and have everyone customize a CD for their recipient. Pick an alcoholic theme and have everyone give a basket with the ingredients for their person’s favorite cocktail. (Bonus: chances are you’ll break those babies open and all end up sharing! Drinking helps aid the stress. Totally acceptable).

Baked Goods Swap.
Holidays are all about the cookies, cakes and pies. Throwing a swap party is a fun and inexpensive way to get into the spirit of the season. Pick a date where you can all take a much needed study break and invite your friends over for a holiday party, telling each person to bring one of their favorite baked good for each attendee. Then have everyone swap, leaving each of you with a huge tray of assorted goodies. Which will come in handy for those late night study sessions on the horizon.