Harrisonburg for the Holidays

Tis the season for holiday decorations! Unfortunately while our parents are enjoying the smell of a fresh Christmas tree in their living room, our houses smell like stale alcohol covered in febreze air freshener. Okay so maybe not everyone’s house smells bad, (if it does see here) but most college students aren’t enjoying the normal holiday sights they are used to seeing at home.

I like to drive through the neighborhoods in my hometown and judge all the holiday light displays. My house normally wins first place. And that is not because I am biased, my house has the best decorations on the block. Just take a look at the picture, and that’s before my dad finished wrapping all the bushes with lights.

Harrisonburg doesn’t seem to have the same spirit. Though there is one house display in Foxhill Townhomes on Devon lane that has gone all out with its light display. They have JMU written in Christmas lights on their roof. They have clearly won first place in the light display contest that doesn’t actually exist.

Though my roommates and I have plenty of Christmas cheer, neither one of us were going to climb on the roof of our squire townhome. The risks outweighed the rewards. We went with a JMU Christmas theme of course, but no ladders were required. Though I can say proudly, that we have the best decorate house in Squire.

The decorating process started during a much needed study break. My roommates and I decided enough was enough and our house needed to get into the Christmas spirit. It didn’t help that our neighbors, who we like to refer as the “Stoop Kids,” had already placed a string of white Christmas lights on their railings and over their doors. We couldn’t let them win the unofficial Squire decorating contest, the one that only my roommates and I knew existed.

We made our rounds to Wal-Mart and K-mart to get the following supplies:

• 1 strand each of Purple and gold garland ($6 each)
• 1 Gold bow ($5) it is similar to this
• 2 packages of white lights (200 bulbs each)
• 4 stockings (less than $2 each)
• 1 Package each of assorted green and red ornaments ($9)
• 1 roll of red ribbon

Side note: the prices they list online are more expensive than what they are in the store. Everything was marked down, the links are just so you have an idea what I am referring too.

We started by wrapping the tinsel and lights up our railing and around the door. We had to add some tiny nails around our door to hold the lights up, but the holes are so small no one will notice. We then added another strand of lights to wrap around our bush. A task that my father makes look a lot easier than it really is. After the outside was done we moved to spread the Christmas tree indoors. I had brought a Christmas tree and calendar from home so those were technically free. We used the ornaments I had brought from home to decorate the tree and saved the red and green ones for to hang on the walls.

For the walls, we just strung the ornaments one by one until we had enough to stretch across our living room. The ones we had left over, we used to hang from the curtain rod using ribbon. The rooms all became complete when we tied up our stocking. Then the moment of truth came. We plugged in all the lights and just marveled at our holiday spirit.

Decorating our house was exactly what we needed to make the place feel like home. Being away from the holidays is hard enough, but it’s even harder when your house lacks any holiday spirit. It also is something nice to come home to after spending hours studying for finals!

Happy Holidays!

Home Away from Home for the holidays

Spending the holiday months away at college will never be something I will get used to. Don’t get me wrong, JMU has made many efforts to bring the comforts of home right here to Harrisonburg, but nothing truly compares to home. But since I don’t plan on dropping out of college during the months of October through December, I have a few tricks that I use to make myself feel the most at home.

The Smell.
This may see extremely weird, but we all know that our house has a certain smell during the holidays. Whether it is your mother’s baking, your Christmas tree, or just simply you family’s favorite air freshener there is always a way to fake it. Personally I love the smell of my house when my mother and I have spent the afternoon cooking desserts: A mixture of my freshly baked cookies cooling off and my mother's pumpkin pie in the oven.  I try my best to mimic this smell by burning two candles simultaneously: pumpkin spice and vanilla. If you live in a dorm, burning candles won’t be an option, but look into a wax warmer. They sell them for cheap at Wal-Mart and you can melt the scent that remind you most of home.

Cozy Nights.
Growing up, winter meant lots of blankets and gallons of hot chocolate. There is no reason this tradition cannot be continued at college. My first suggestion is get yourself a BIG coffee mug. Bring your favorite from home. Buy one from the store. Steal one from the dining hall. No matter how you get one, a mug is a necessity. Hot chocolate in a Styrofoam cup just isn’t the same as holding a ceramic mug in your hand. Once you have a mug, get some hot coca mix and just add water. And since most of us are law breaking college students, feel free to spike your hot cocoa with a splash of Baileys Irish Cream.

The Sweets.

Don’t be afraid to try and make your family favorites for yourself. Years from now you will be making these treats for your own family. Might as well get the practice in now so by the time you grow up you’ll be an expert.

I know my mom keeps all the family recipes in a bunch of disorganized cookbooks and I am almost positive that she’s not the only one to do so. So think back at your childhood. Pick out your favorite foods. Then get a copy of the recipe. You might need a lesson or two on how to perfect the dish, so take advantage of your time at home and get a cooking lesson from the family chef.

In later posts I will be doing tutorials on some of my favorite recipes. If you have any suggestions feel free to let me know.