Christmas Spirit in small spaces

Many of us miss the elaborate decorations that helped get us in the Christmas spirit at home. I don't know about you, but my mom has boxes upon boxes of lights, wreaths, figurines, and everything else you can imagine to turn our house into a winter wonderland. Now that we're living in apartments, dorm rooms, or sharing a room in a sorority or fraternity, decorating for Christmas can seem like too much work.

However we've compiled simple ways to make your small space fill with Christmas cheer, without breaking the bank.

1. Put lights around your windows. They will take up very minimal space, and it's also a nice way for others to see your decorations, since living in an apartment or dorm room pretty much guarantees that you don't have a front yard to decorate.

2. Place small decorations directly on your windows. These could be peel-and-stick snowflake decals or ornaments hung from window sucker hooks. This will keep the decorations out of your way for the most part and make them visible to those outside of your apartment as well.

3. Choose a small or tabletop Christmas tree. Don't let living in a small space stop you from getting a Christmas tree, just use a smaller one. Even a potted rosemary "tree" would work! Just decorate it with fewer lights and ornaments so as not to overwhelm the tree and keep it looking too much like Charlie Brown picked it out.

4. Hang mistletoe in the doorways. This is another way to utilize the empty spaces in your apartment, such as windows, doors and doorways. Besides, a smaller space just means there are more opportunities for two people to be under the mistletoe at the same time!

5. Light Christmas-themed candles. Simply replace any candles you already have with candles in holiday colors and/or scents. They will give your apartment a festive smell and feel. You can even create the ambiance of a fireplace by grouping several candles together on your coffee table.

Composed by: Amy Weber