Dorm Decorations for the Holidays
Holiday season doesn’t feel the same when you aren’t back at home with your family. You miss out on enjoying the decorations, planning, and the sweet aroma of holiday scented candles. Don’t get me wrong, dressing up with friends for Halloween is way more satisfying than passing out candy with parents. Most of us, if we are lucky, are able to make it home for Thanksgiving and for Christmas.
If we want to make the best out of our Holiday season while still living in the dorm we must decorate, decorate, decorate! A fun way to show off your personal holiday style is to go to the store (I recommend Jo-Anne Fabrics or Hobby Lobby) with your friend or roommate and buy some decorations. It’s important to have a color scheme in mind beforehand, and to also think about what will fit best in your dorm.
Halloween is the perfect time to let your peers know how much of a bad witch you really are by having wicked decorations. Buy a pack of fake cobwebs to put on picture frames, wall corners, or bookshelves. Mummify your door without having to spend a lot of money. Use a roll of toilet paper and tape to make it look like it’s from ancient times. Fake pumpkins are essential to having a true Halloween atmosphere and buying already decorated ones is a quick and easy way to go!
Thanksgiving decorations can be a little tricky if you want to avoid having your room look like a scene from an old western movie. Find a cute tray in yellow or rose gold that will fit on your desk, and buy floral picks with acorns, pinecones, and cranberries. DIY fake fall leaves by putting tacky craft glue on the tips of the leaves and adding gold glitter to them. If you feel like getting really creative you could event punch holes in the leaves and make a garland for one of your walls.
Now I want to know…are you naughty or nice? It’s all up to you and how you decorate for this Christmas! If you want to come off on the “nice list” buy a few different rolls of wrapping paper and decorate your door by making snowman, Christmas tree, or penguin and use Christmas lights to frame around the door. If you want to come off as “naughty” still go with the wrapping paper idea, but make a sleigh instead and decorate your door frame with white and red boas to let Santa know you’re a good girl gone bad. Mini Christmas trees are a college favorite; I suggest buying a sparkly white or gold pre-lit tree. Make a Christmas wreath out of red solo cups and to add green or gold bows to add a feminine touch. Go with your roommate and pick out stockings to hang on the end each of your bed posts, then surprise each other with stocking stuffers before leaving for break.
Okay ladies, now let’s go get decorations!
Affordable Spring Break Ideas in the U.S.
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The beginning of second semester has little to do with getting used to new classes; it’s mostly about preparing for spring break. Make sure you have a solid friend group that is all on the same page about where they want to go, what they want to do, and most importantly what they can afford.
North:
If your squad is unable to travel too far from “The Dirty”, Wisconsin Dells is a great location that will keep the whole group occupied. Kalahari Resort is African themed, super clean, and sometimes they have exotic baby animals for people to hold and take photos with such as lions and tigers. Great Wolf Lodge is another great location that really sets the aura of being up north. Both hotels have huge indoor waterparks and are approximately a six hour drive from Terre Haute.
South:
If Florida was female it would be the essence of a basic college woman. It seems like every year that Florida is the hot spot where all the college students want to go to celebrate Spring Break. There are several destinations along the coast that are accustomed to your party style and budget.
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South Beach Miami can be pricey but it is the perfect location for the wild spring breaker with parties constantly going on. There are art deco hotels, and hundreds of restaurants, stores, bars and clubs. Not to mention Miami is one of the top fashion districts in America.
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Panama City Beach has been one of the top spring break beaches in the U.S. for decades. It’s known as one of the best beaches in the world and fortunately for you, is very budget friendly.
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Daytona Beach is known for having beautiful weather during March, averaging around 80 degrees. Most of the hotels are student friendly and include some great values for rooms. Daytona has several dance clubs, beach front bars, and various beach activities to do. Some hotel options include Hawaiian Inn Beach Club Hotel and Oceanside Inn which have a beautiful location directly on the beach. Disney World, University Studios, and Sea World are only an hour away and are great options for day trips. Daytona also has an amazing boardwalk.
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Fort Lauderdale is the place where the ISU students roam. It offers a wild fun filled spring break with a lot to go out and do including 18 and up clubs. Fort Lauderdale is known for it’s beaches.
East:
If the East Coast is your thing then Myrtle Beach should be the beach for you. Myrtle Beach is located in South Carolina and is a top destination spot for the East Coast. Outdoor activities vary from parasailing, jetpacks and flyboarding, kayaking, cruises, helicopter rides, zip lines, and so much more. They have theme parks and water parks that will definitely steer you away from boredom…not to mention they have several bars and nightclubs to keep the whole group happy.
West:
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Lake Havasu, Arizona is known for it’s hot weather, desert sands and a lake to cool off in.
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A spring break destination that is affordable and becoming more popular every year is South Padre Island, Texas. There is plenty to do with wild day parties and awesome beach bars on the white sand.
Tips before the Trip:
A lot of hotels have a hard time accepting students as guests for liability reasons. Be sure to check out the hotel or resorts website ahead of time and see if they are student friendly. Look for hotels that have activities throughout the day on the pool deck such as music, DJ, and contests.
Make sure to do the following:
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Respect the hotel or you will end up paying for damage and cleaning fees (READ HOTEL POLICIES CAREFULLY)
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Use the buddy system
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Always hang out in groups
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Drink responsibly and NEVER accept drinks from strangers
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Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated
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Wear SPF 30 (30 is the new 15), you don't want to burn on the first day.