By Elizabeth Stitt
Colored lights string across the blue walls of the living room. Three decorated trees grace the corner of the room and a small, fuzzy snowman hangs by the door.
For college students on a budget, Christmas decorations may be the last thing on their minds. But some students still find a way to spruce up their apartments.
?There are lots of ways ,? said Betty Despain, a senior majoring in therapeutic recreation. ?We have a tree with just a scarf and gloves on it.?
Her roommate calls it the Whoville tree from Dr. Suess?s ?How the Grinch Stole Christmas? because the decorations are sparse.
Despain and her roommates have two other trees in their apartment. Despain got her tree the economical way ? she borrowed it from her parents. Many students find borrowing parent?s decorations as an econimocal alternative to buying.
Cheryl Johnson, a junior majoring in animation, said when her roommates went home for Thanksgiving, they brought back lights and decorations.
But for students who didn?t bring decorations from home, they can still decorate inexpensively.
Despain said she decorated her tree for about $4 with lights, ribbons and poinsettias.
?It?s a nice-looking tree,? Despain said. ?It looks professional. I didn?t have to buy bulbs or expensive cutesy stuff. I just bought flowers and slapped them up there.?
Some local stores offer inexpensive decorations that are popular with students.
Angela Bown, a Wal-Mart garden sales associate, said their seasonal department has just as many college students buying decorations as it has adults, even though the students? purchases are limited.
?The ornaments are our biggest-selling because they?re so cheap,? Bown said. ?Trees and ornaments are probably because they can?t afford anything else.?
At Wal-Mart, Bown said the most popular tree for students is a 6-foot tree selling for $29.88.
?A lot of students buy it for their dorms because it?s small enough to fit,? Bown said.
Another option, Family Dollar, sells most decorations for $5 or less. The store carries ornaments, knickknacks, tabletop d?cor and red and white felt stockings and hats.
?College students live on a limited budget and they need all the value they can get,? said Kiley Rawlins, Family Dollar?s divisional vice president.
Deseret Industries has some decorations, but mostly trees that range from $1 to $100.
Many students agree that it?s worth it to decorate their apartments, even if they will be heading home before the actual Christmas holiday.
?We live in Provo right now, so this is our home,? Despain said. ?By golly, it?s going to be Christmas in our apartment.?