Although some may be sad to watch summer end, autumn is a great time to embrace change. Achieving that festive fall spirit can be difficult while away from home but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the beauty and simplicity of the season.
What would fall be without pumpkins? While carving pumpkins might be too messy for the average college student, a nice substitute pumpkin can be made out of a brown paper bag.
By coloring the bag with an orange crayon and filling it with crumpled up newspaper you can give the bag a, plump pumpkin shape. Leave the top of the bag uncolored and twist it to form the stem. You can secure the stem with twine or a hair tie. Next, you can either draw a face with a black marker or cut one out from black construction paper. You will then have successfully made a make- shift pumpkin that is not only reusable but also recyclable.
If you’re missing the sweet smell of homemade pumpkin pie, you can fill your room with a pumpkin aroma by buying a pumpkin spray or air freshener. Many companies offer different seasonal sprays such as autumn leaves, apple crisp and toasted almond.
“My friends and I have little pumpkins on our desks that we decorated and the pumpkin spice scented Febreeze to keep in the fall,” sophomore Elizabeth Rosciano said.
When it comes to decorating your dorm you can either make your own designs out of construction paper or you can buy them at almost any local store.
Sophomore Kelly Zarnowski decorated her dorm with cobwebs and pumpkins last year.
“The cobwebs were on my door and added a festive and spooky theme to my entire floor,” Zarnowski said.
Zarnowski said her mom likes to send her decorations so that she can “keep in the festive spirit while stressed at school.”
Creating a Halloween themed dorm can be a good replacement for the normal atmosphere of happy trick-or-treaters.
Battery operated tealights are another great way to stay in the fall spirit. They light up your room the way a jack-o-lantern would. They’re an inexpensive alternative to the normal flame candles, which are prohibited, and they’re also good for other seasons.
Mackenzie Scibetta can be reached at mackenzie.scibetta@student.shu.edu.
