Unfortunately, for some, you may now be learning that we are approximately less than two months away from the beginning of a very chilly season. It is official — winter is coming. But do not fret! If you are completely and entirely behind on your seasonal preparations, you’re not alone. With Halloween out of the way and Thanksgiving mostly irrelevant when it comes to decor — because who decorates their dorm to be Thanksgiving-themed — there is now plenty of time to get into the cold spirit of the upcoming frost. Assuming enough people flush ice cubes down their toilets and tuck a few compostable dining hall spoons under their pillows, we may get some snow. Mother nature and global warming are at the wheel for that, however.
In the meantime, here are a few tips and tricks so you can get started on being prepared for the winter season.
- Make it freezing in your room — Do you want that winter wonderland feeling? Well, look no further. You can get the real experience by completely devoiding your dorm room of all sources of heat. Throw out your blankets and sheets. Put a fan in your room. Or, if you have the option, turn your air conditioner onto the cooling setting. You’ll know you succeeded when your fingers go numb and your lip turns blue. Better yet, crush up some ice and cover your floor with homemade snow. Nothing says winter more than frostbite.
- Smell solely of cinnamon and peppermint — Seeing that candles are technically not allowed in dorm rooms because they are a quote-unquote “fire hazard,” there are a few ways you can conjure a perfect wintery scent. Plug diffusers into every outlet in your room — and I mean every. Or, if you have access to the correct materials, boil a pot full of your favorite wintery scents and keep it at a simmer in your room somehow. I am not sure how to do so without the use of some good old fire, but as a University student, I am sure you can come up with something.
- Get a fir tree to keep in your dorm room — If you enjoy decorating a tree for the holidays and covering it with ornaments, do I have a plan for you! You don’t just want to buy some artificial tree from some shop that smells like plastic. No — that natural evergreen smell is what you need. Go into the wilderness and chop down your own tree. Make sure to dress like a lumberjack, flannel and all, and abstain from any use of technology. After, lug the tree back to your dorm and keep it alive as long as possible. Treat it like your child and make it thrive, shedding its needles all over your floor. The effort is totally worth it. Trust me.
- Embody the personification of Jack Frost — Honestly, the only information I know about the legend of Jack Frost is from Wikipedia and the Rise of the Guardians movie. So what I know for sure is that this dude is the literal embodiment of winter. If you really want to get into the spirit, become the actual spirit of frost and the freezing cold. The chilly temperature of your room and a revamped Norse-themed closet should do the trick.
- Listen to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey on repeat — Last but not least, no winter season is complete without some classic winter tunes. So sit back, relax and fill the void of space with Mariah Carey’s five-octave vocal range. And if that is not your style, there are, of course, other songs, such as José Feliciano’s Felíz “Navidad” or the entire soundtrack to the film “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.”
I hope this advice fairs you all well. To be honest, I’m more of a fan of the spring.
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