By Lauren Conrad

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Now is the time of year to deck residence halls with boughs of holly and fa-la-la-la-la your way to winter break.

While there are several ways to surround yourself in holiday cheer, some students are choosing to decorate their dorm rooms.

“We wanted to feel at home and have a little Christmas spirit at our dorm,” Blanding-1 freshman resident Paige Pugh said. “Christmas is my favorite time of year and the lights make it so warm and cozy.”

Some students have wrapped their doors in wrapping paper to make it appear like a present, while others are stringing lights in their rooms, decorating Christmas trees, placing out Menorahs or hanging up stockings.

Freshman Carlisle Corbin, Pugh’s roommate, is planning to redecorate their Blanding 1 dorm room by placing lights on their pink Christmas tree, after they were forced to take down their decorations before heading home for the Thanksgiving break.

“We have a Christmas count-down on our front door and decorations that we cut ourselves,” Corbin said. “We also made little paper stockings that we have on our front door.”

There are online tips for holiday dorm decorating ideas that are friendly on a college-student budget. Take into consideration smaller living quarters that you can search for and recreate in your own room.

You can also get a start on shopping for gifts and leave wrapped presents around your room to get yourself in the holiday spirit.

Fan Outfitters and Kennedy Book Store also have displays of ornaments, stockings and holiday decorations to ensure that you still see blue this holiday season.

But not everyone will be decorating his or her dorm room.

“I’m not going to put anything up because I don’t have anything, nor do I want to go out of my way to buy something; I’m a broke college kid,” said Aryn Nordhoff, a journalism freshman living in Blanding Tower. “My mind is going to be on finals and stuff in the next few weeks, I won’t want to waste time on putting up and taking down any decorations.”

If you do decide to decorate your room, check with your resident adviser to make sure your decorations are in compliance with university issued guidelines.

RAs have a list of fire safety standards all decorations must meet, and all decorations need to be taken down before leaving the dorms for winter break.

You also want to be respectful of the beliefs and traditions of your roommate and others in your dorm when selecting holiday decorations.

If you do feel compelled, busting out the wrapping paper and colored lights and decking out your dorm room in some holiday cheer may be the perfect study break.