Some students become restless the last weeks of school, longing to be home surrounded by Christmas decorations and the smell of baking sweets. Making an apartment feel more like home might not guarantee A's on final exams, but adding a little holiday cheer by decorating can help fight off homesickness.

"We actually decorated before Thanksgiving, just because it makes our apartment a lot more homey and a lot more fun to be in," said Julie Bartholomew, 21, a junior from Hanover, Pa., majoring in special education.

She said her roommates now enjoy just sitting in their living room, sipping hot chocolate and enjoying the Christmas spirit. "It makes us happy," Bartholomew said.

Most college students are lacking in two areas - time and money. But holiday decorations don't have to be expensive, and homemade décor doesn't have to be elaborate or time consuming.

Bartholomew said she and her roommates bought a bag of cinnamon-scented pinecones and cinnamon sticks. "We used ribbons to tie the cinnamon sticks into cute little bundles with pretty little bows," she said. They also bought an inexpensive basket, made a bow from green and gold ribbons and tied it to the basket to display the cinnamon-scented pinecones.

For students lacking supplies to make their own holiday creations, plenty of craft stores in the area sell inexpensive craft supplies.

Tracey Miller, manager of the newly opened Archiver's in University Mall, said homemade holiday decorations are popular this year. She said paper maché and mega ornament kits are just a couple of inexpensive options for students.

"It's your own personal touch," Miller said. Ornaments can be simple or decorative and fancy - even Victorian style. Buttons and ribbons can also be used to decorate and non-traditional colors like periwinkle, gold, blue, deep burgundy and rust have also been used in ornaments, she said.

"The possibilities are greater now," Miller said. Christmas decorations aren't necessarily moving away from the traditional colors, but artists and designers have created beautiful patterns in all different hues. There's a wider range of Christmas decorations. "You're not stuck in using the same traditions," Miller said.

The vintage look is not only popular in clothing fashions, but also in ornaments and Christmas décor, she said. Christmas decorations reminiscent of the '20s and '30s are part of this trend.

The best thing about homemade ornaments, Miller said, is that both kids and grownups can make them, even if they're on a budget.

Scott Peterson, 23, a senior from Ogden majoring in biology, used a little bit of creativity and lots of school spirit to decorate his Christmas tree.

The idea for his apartment's BYU-themed tree originated when he and his roommates found blue lights in their apartment, left behind by previous tenants. Peterson said it worked out because he also had some blue lights of his own. He brought an old tree down from his home in Ogden and headed to the dollar store where they bought blue ornaments, whiteout, silver garland and a blue and white tree skirt. They used the whiteout to draw a "Y" on each ornament. It cost only $5 to decorate the tree, Peterson said.

Though they won't spend the Christmas holiday in their apartment, Peterson said he decorated because he loves the holiday atmosphere that decorations bring.

"[They] make [things] a little more homey."

Of course, Peterson is still looking for a Cosmo tree-topper.

Copyright Brigham Young University 6 Dec 2006