It’s Christmastime, AU! Along with the blanketing snow, warm hot chocolate, songs about Christmas, and, of course, finals, there is one other significant form that Christmastime comes in: Christmas decorations. Maybe you believe that Christmas decorations come out too early in the year. Perhaps you think they don’t come out early enough. Whatever your thoughts, feelings, and opinions are about quintessential holiday garnish, I am here to explore what your fellow AU students have to say about Christmas decorations around campus and in their homes.
Christmas decorations take various forms. They can appear as bright, almost magical lights, wreaths, and pictures. They can also come in figures of different winter scenes, nativity scenes, and many other fantastic, welcoming, and joyful setups. Around campus, we can see beautifully decorated lamp posts, the Student Center wrapped in bright white lights, and various departments abounding in holiday cheer. At the very heart of it all, many students decorate their rooms to bring a little happiness to their rooms as they deal with the pressures and stress of finals. As I write this article, I look at the Charlie Brown-Esque Christmas tree atop my desk. It makes me smile whenever I look at it, although I wish I could decorate my dorm room more to truly get excited for Christmastime. Trista Braithwaite (sophomore, physical) echoed my sentiments, saying, “Sadly, besides my Christmas advent calendar, I have not been able to set up any other Christmas decorations in my room. It doesn’t quite feel like Christmas without Christmas decorations. Decorating is one of my favorite parts of the season!” She went on to say that her family was able to give her a glimpse of Christmas by decorating her house over Thanksgiving break. She said doing so brought her so much happiness.
Decorating for Christmas can often give us this sense of peace and relief that the semester is coming to a close. When the first decor started to pop up around campus, a smile spread across my face—I knew the future held the end of a stressful semester and the promise of a fresh new one. Christmas decor often welcomes the feeling of family and togetherness that most of us will feel soon when we get home. Jocabed Ayala (junior, international business and foreign language for international trade) said, “I personally love Christmas decorations! They bring me back to my childhood. My dad loves Christmas, and he used to make us decorate on the first day of November. Christmas is such a warm and nice season at home. I always take it as a time to have nice memories with my family.”
While getting ready for Christmas can be difficult on a college campus, finding joy in the little things can be so helpful in getting you through this last week of the semester. Make sure to put up any Christmas decorations you can while you study. May you bask in the glow of the lights and bathe in the warmth of the holiday season!
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.