A Collegiate Christmas!

Hosting Christmas gatherings with our friends has become somewhat of a tradition within our circle.

Freshman year we had fun in our finest green and red in the original Rachelsea in the first dorm we lived in. If memory serves us right, we played Sing Star, had fondue, did some sort of gift exchange, and sat close to Rachel’s Christmas palm tree.

Sophomore year, we gathered in the original Chelison in the second dorm we lived in. Of course we had a gift exchange again, ate something, huddled by the fireplace (the kind you pop into a DVD player and watch on TV), and painted ornaments.

 No picture from junior year? Impossible! But true :(

Junior year we had everyone join us at Rachelison! Our first apartment! It was completely decorated for the season and we enjoyed the festivities by indulging in food, another gift exchange, and games.

Too busy having fun to take a nice group shot:(

Recently we enjoyed our last Christmas party as college students by hosting an “Ugly Sweater Dirty Santa Holiday Cheer Potluck.” Yes, it was a mouthful to say but it was a complete blast! We started off by enjoying everyone’s delicious treats and then exchanged gifts, and then played Just Dance 2 until the weeeee hours of the morning. 

Potluck :)

Being the good hostesses that we are, we gave out little stockings filled with candy to our friends before they left as a toke of appreciation for joining us.

We aren’t just going to keep boring you with our sappy memories; we’re actually trying to make a point here.

A College Christmas happens on a budget, so our guests and us don’t go into even more debt. Here’s what we do to keep from going broke.

A)   Decorate using what you’ve got! Don’t buy stuff just for the party – if you do, make sure you can use it during other times of the year as well or for other parties. And if you do buy something, consider your local thrift stores first.

Either from Goodwill or re-purposed!

B)   Plan a potluck! Ask each of your guests to bring a dish, and be sure to tell them what type of dish (appetizer, side dish, dessert, etc.) This will save tons of money for you, the host, and allow for a variety of dishes for your guests to enjoy. 

C)   Host a small gift exchange! Gift exchanges like White Elephant, Dirty Santa, and Secret Santa are so much fun and everyone just needs to bring one gift. Gifts can be silly or useful, but should arrive wrapped so no one can scope out what they are before the gift exchange actually happens. Finally, set a spending limit that you and your guests will be comfortable with. We have jumped around in the $5 to $10 every year.

D)   Have a small parting gift on hand for your guests. Our stockings were a quarter a piece from the thrift store, but were brand new, and the candy was on hand.

We wish you all the best this holiday season and hope you are able to spend with those you love.

Happy Holidays,