One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the ridiculous light displays. My family always puts up your traditional lights, a wreath, and some light-up reindeer, but there are some people in our neighborhood that go a bit overboard. And most of the girls in my sorority house (myself included) have decorated their rooms in the Christmas spirit even though we’re only here for a little while in December. Christmas decorations are super fun, but I can’t imagine running up my power bill to the point of no return for the sake of lights.

However, there are some people that take Christmas light displays very seriously. Check out these crazy displays…

Ditch the wood-burning fireplace: Everybody loves to cozy up next to their beau in front of a cozy fire.  Unfortunately, burning all of that wood can end up leaving quite the carbon footprint.  But don’t worry, you don’t have to give up your fantasy of the perfect winter fire; just be sure that you’re using a natural gas fireplace.  According to the Sierra Club, burning natural gas instead of wood will reduce your carbon footprint and pollution contribution.

Cozy up in Patagonia: Patagonia is one of the best names out there when it comes to winter wear.  Not only do they make high quality stuff, but they make it with environmentally responsible materials such as recycled soda bottles and organic cotton.  Right now I am loving the Women’s R1Pullover.  It makes me wish I was freezing my a** off just so that I could curl up in one.

Christmas lights go LED: Not only to LED lights use less energy to run, but they also last longer so you don’t have to keep throwing away burnt out bulbs.  Plus, some energy companies like PG&E offer a rebate for using LED Christmas lights instead of the regular ones.  Be sure that you still use the LED ones responsibly by only turning them on at night time and turning them off before you go to sleep.  And so you know, there’s no need to keep burning them after New Years, so convince Dad to get out the ladder come January 1^st.

Say no to fake Christmas trees: Although fake Christmas trees don’t shed and can add for years, they still have a large environmental impact.  Most are produced overseas, made from plastic, and eventually end up in a landfill.  Instead, opt for the real thing – they’re renewable, natural, and biodegradable.  If you still feel a little guilty about wasting a tree, you can look into a rent-a-tree program.  These programs give you the tree when it’s still living and then pick it up after the holidays to reuse it the following year.

So although it’s relatively warm here during the winter, there are definitely some changes that occur with the change of the “seasons,” and, as with everything in life, they come with their pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Cute scarves.

2. Better tea (Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride from Celestial Seasonings, anyone?)

3. Pumpkin and cinnamon flavored everything. Yesss.

4. I have an excuse for my Scandinavian chronic paleness.

5. Christmas lights in the palm trees.

6. Christina Aguilera’s “My Kind of Christmas” from 2001. I bust this out every year and it NEVER gets old.

Cons

1. The gym is packed. All the people who ran outside are now on my treadmill. Grr.

2. Flocked Christmas Trees. I don’t understand why Californians insist on this disgusting trend every year—WE LIVE IN CALIFORNIA. We don’t get snow. So buying a tree with FAKE snow on it, really? Tacky. Tacky and ungrateful. Let’s just take our 70 degree Christmas and move on; if we don’t have to deal with the cold that comes with the real stuff, we don’t deserve the fake stuff.

3. Remembering jackets. It’s just not in our nature to remember, and the nippy 58 degree weather is hard on our thin California blood!

But before I make the East Coasters too jealous, I will say that every California girl DOES occasionally pine for the hope of a snow day, a snowball fight and the ability to make snow angels.

What do you think? What are your favorite/least favorite things about winter?

[Photo courtesy of Flickr]

It is closing in on the cold, depressing months of winter after all, so let’s take a few deep breaths and maybe we can get through this together.

After all, aren’t you a little embarrassed to bring men home to your unwashed tattered sheets, thong strewn floor (actually that’s pretty hot…keep those there)? You’re in school, use your brain.

Let’s begin with the bed (that’s what she said).

I’ve seen a few different beds in my day and while 300 thread count sheets are so silky smooth they are definitely a little pricey. Never fear! There are a few other options than your classic green and blue checked flannel.

Unless you moonlight as a porn star, please avoid red satin sheets, there’s steamy and there’s sketchy and satin crosses the line in leaps and bounds. Buy these Twister sheets at www.stylehive.com and memorize this line. “How would you like to play a game of Twister…in my bed.”

Now that’s class.

Are your walls looking a little bare? You have a few different ways to go. A well placed tapestry tells the campus that you’re chill, down-to-earth, and probably have a little baggy of weed in your sock drawer.

Use a few posters from www.allposters.com as your soapbox to all inform all who dare enter your room how sweet you are. I recommend choosing one piece of art with sexual undertones- I’m fan of Picasso’s “Femme” for $20 and another highlighting you musical taste. Bonus points for smarm and or obscurity as in this little jem for $25.

Walls? Check. Now, if you haven’t already put up a few pictures from your glory days in high school, but not too many. You don’t want everyone to know that you peaked when you 17 and you probably won’t be squeezing into those size 2 jeans until you graduate and get away from the constant supply of delicious food. Don’t live in the past man, don’t live in the past.

Okay, you’re off to a good start. Your bed is made and your walls don’t completely resemble those of a minimum security prison. As soon as you throw in a few extras you’ll be ready to open up your space to friends and potential sexual partners.

Pick and choose from this list:

1. An exotic plant like a bright pink orchid or bird of paradise.

2. Tip jar for your bedside table. Humor is always sexy and you might get some quarters for laundry…

3. 6-pack of imported Hefeweizen from Belgium.

4. White Christmas lights to construct a make-shift chandelier, it looks so good if you do it right.

5. A few works to spice up your book shelf….the Vice Guide to Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll is on mine.

6. Couple of wine glasses, fill with hard candies. Practical and fruity. Add wine rack for bonus points.

7. Febreze baby, Febreze. When in doubt, pull the trigger, inhale the fresh scent.