Here are eight great ways to decorate your dorm for the holidays for cheap! Though these ideas don’t exactly include Hanukkah-related activities, there are plenty of ways to add a menorah and dreidel to the mix; so don’t feel left out! :)
1. Door Decorations
Wrap your door with wrapping paper; it’s one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get into the holiday spirit! Any CVS, Walgreens or Safeway has cute Christmas wrapping paper for you to design your own festive doorway, bows and all, for as little as 99¢.
2. Lights
The more lights, the better! Christmas lights make anything look Santa-approved. You can get cheap light sets on Amazon for $7, or just stop by any market or pharmacy and string them up with tape or command hooks. Pinterest has a plethora of strategies and ideas for how and where to put lights, but honestly no matter where you put them they will look good (unless they’re in the bathroom, no one wants that.)
3. Wreaths
You can make DIY wreaths from a pizza box, $1 bow sets from CVS, tea bags, paper, tinsel, and almost anything else you find laying around on the floor of your room. Just get some Elmer’s Glue and go to town. My favorite? All the wine-Wednesday corks in one wreath!
4. Garlands
Grab your printer paper and start cutting up little snowflakes like you did in first grade; it’s that easy. Staple them together to string up snowflake garland from the windows, doorways, or ceiling. It’s cute, it’s cost-effective, and can stay up until after Christmas is over.
5. Mistletoe
It’s as little as $5 on Amazon but so worth the money. It’s cute, eye-catching and traditional. Some of the best memories, and even dates, can end sweetly with this adorable decoration.
6. Stockings
Whether you decorate dollar-store stockings or use some fuzzy ones you already own, crafting your own Christmas stockings is a great way to get into the holiday spirit. Plus, it’s an easy and cheap gift to give to your friends!
7. Plastic tree
A little Charlie Brown-Christmas tree is a great way to make your dorm room feel like home. But most universities have a policy that doesn’t allow real trees, so opt for plastic and reuse it every year! Some of them are $2 on Amazon and some of them can be $20, but either way it’s always fun to make ornaments and decorate a tree around the Holidays.
8. Gingerbread house
This is such a fun activity for you and your friends to do before going off on winter break! Not only do you get to build an adorable miniature house, but then you get to EAT it (and that by far is the best part!) Buy a kit in any super-market or 711 for less an $20.