The Underachiever’s Guide to Christmas Decorating

Christmas. It’s that wonderful time of year where everyone climbs up into their attics to bring down those long forgotten Christmas decorations. It’s that time of year where everyone sets up a tree in the middle of their living room to worship it. First, they decorate it. Next, they offer gifts to it. Then they wait day by day, enamored by its beauty until that sacred day when that illustrious being from the Arctic region comes down into people’s home with even more gifts. And in the meantime, people spend countless hours strewing lights and decking their homes in a wide assortment of decorations.

But you don’t have the time. Nor do you have the money. You’re in college and see no sense in decorating your dorm. Think of any other excuse to not participate in this glorious holiday and you can insert it here. I’ll even leave a space for you.

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But even with all the excuses in the world, you have little reason to not get in the holiday spirit. In fact, there’s a list that could be made, outlining all the cheap ways you could get into that Christmassy mood without requiring much time or effort on your part:

1.  Purchase a mini Christmas tree and set it up on a shelf or a desk in your living room.

Yep, that’s it. You don’t even need to play Christmas tunes over the radio. Now whenever someone comes over to your dorm, your apartment, or wherever asking why you’re not getting into the holiday spirit, you can point to that little plastic tree and tell them, “see that? I am in the holiday spirit.”

Now you can go visit your family for Christmas and not have to worry about living up to everyone else’s expectations. And remember, Christmas isn’t about decorating, baking cookies, dressing up Christmas trees, getting presents, or even waiting for the fat man wearing a red coat to break into your home at night. It’s about spending time with family and reflecting on the fact that God came down in the form of a man to later die on the cross so that we may be saved from our sins.

And, well, maybe the presents too.