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Colored lights, heinous homemade sweaters, flavored popcorn and a plethora of timeless, made-for-TV movies - it must be Christmas, the cheesiest time of the year.
Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas and embrace it for all the tackiness and cornball feel-goodness it has to offer. And in the spirit of the holiday season, I would like to propose the following list of guidelines that could assist you in maximizing the unrefined side of Christmas.
First and foremost, go overboard with the decorations. We're in college, and few of us own the luxury of a fancy house to dress up. Therefore, we embrace what we do have (cramped spaces shared with one or more other parties) and cram as much holiday spirit as we can into our dorm rooms and apartments.
Christmas trees are optional, but lights are a necessity, so use as many as your living quarters will allow. If it feels like your dwelling is on the inside of a disco ball, then you're on the right track. Next, shower your space with tinsel, wrapping it around every showing surface your room has to offer. Follow this with the token stocking tacked to the corkboard with care for the full effect of holiday decorating in student housing. This will surely get you and your roommate (and your neighbors and their neighbors) into the Christmas spirit.
Next, host a party in your newly decorated pad - and for full effect, go with a theme. The most popular this year appears to be "Tacky Sweater Party," which will finally get some use out of those mothball-ridden monstrosities that your Aunt Gertrude sends you every Dec. 25. Play it up and make the most of being out of style by pairing the sweater with those awesome '80s windbreaker pants or (even better) Mom Jeans.
For music selection, go with the mix CD of Christmas classics that features soundtracks from the movies we've all grown up watching during December - "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "The Year Without A Santa Claus" and of course "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Everyone knows the words, and even the most humbug friend you have will be belting out "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" before the night is over (but we might have to attribute that to the eggnog instead of the song).
Finally, shower your friends with gifts. This is the season of giving, but the economic mood swings make it hard to budget excessive presents. However, we shouldn't let the little things like the stock market mess with our good time. Focus on finding what makes your friends laugh, and pick it up at the dollar store. They won't care how much you spend - the gift alone shows that you care. And if you can make them laugh in the process, that present is going to be a guaranteed favorite.
It's been a long, hard year for most of us, but Christmas is the perfect time to ignore the bad and emphasize the good. Focus on the fun instead of the stress, and have a Merry Christmas.
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