Holiday Spirit – College Style

An elf once said, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” Good advice – but not necessarily practical when prepping for finals. How do we keep the holiday spirit alive when we’re supposed to be studying in the stacks?

Take a Frat Lap

A friend and I did this last year, and it was totally spontaneous and surprisingly fun. One night in December we took a break from studying to hop in her Nissan and tour fratland, taking it upon ourselves to judge which house had the best holiday lights display. Stop by Dunkin’ and grab some hot chocolate before you begin your lights show. It’s not much but hey, we’re working with what we got.

Have an ABC Family Christmas Movie Night

If you don’t watch at least one holiday movie on ABC Family within the next two weeks, you’re doing it wrong. Thanks to the 25 days of Christmas movie marathon, we literally have 25 opportunities to watch our favorite holiday movies. Take a break from studying to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas and let yourself regress a little bit.

Create a Christmas Pandora Station

Drake can wait a month. December is a time for Christmas music and Christmas music only. Nothing will make you feel more jolly than walking to class listening to the likes of Mariah Carrey and Dean Martin.  Rumor has it that listening to Christmas music while studying increases final grades by 10 percent (not an actual statistic).

Spend a Day Christmas Shopping

Our families think they know the drill by now. A “PSU MOM” coffee mug for mom, a “PSU DAD” baseball cap for dad, a “PSU GRANDMA” t-shirt for nana, etc. Surprise the fam this Christmas with real-life gifts by setting aside a few hours this week to do some serious shopping. Believe it or not, State College actually has some relevant stores and even a mall. Who woulda thought?!

Photo by Ashley Zucker