Making college apartments feel like home can be challenging, but that did not stop Mercedes Poole from decorating her new apartment with a Christmas tree.
Like Poole, many students try to make their apartments into a home away from home, especially during holiday seasons.
Poole, from Payson, and her roommates went to Ikea, the Dollar Store, Walmart and Target to buy their ornaments and decorated their book shelves, the walls in the front room and the mantle.
“I don’t even want to leave,” she said. “I don’t want to go home because my apartment is so cute. We just sit around and drink hot chocolate all the time.”
Poole said Christmas is a wonderful time to bring everyone together, including roommates.
“We created a family so fast,” she said. “It’s the most welcoming thing. It’s just really nice to go home.”
Morgan Renfroe, a senior from Liberty, Mo., majoring in elementary education, went Christmas decoration shopping with her husband. They are excited to decorate their apartment together with a Christmas tree, lights, ornaments and cutout paper chains.
“I love decorating with Christmas music, cookies and hot chocolate,” Renfroe said. “I don’t decorate to celebrate the 25th. I decorate because it’s the Christmas season and I want to celebrate it all season.”
Nate Montgomery, a senior from Atlanta, Ga. majoring in entrepreneurship, said that the festivities can fluctuate depending on his living situation at college.
“I am not that excited to decorate an apartment, but when I lived in (a) house, I felt like I was the owner of the house,” he said.
Like Montgomery, some students don’t see the purpose of decorating their apartments because of the cost on their money and time.
Travis Pearson, a junior majoring in accounting from Grand Junction, Colo., said he is fine with general decorations and has decorated his apartment with his roommates, but not for holidays.
“It doesn’t serve that much of a purpose,” he said. “Mostly because I am too lazy. I don’t have decorations, and I don’t feel like spending money on decorations.”
