With the holiday season in full swing, students from all faiths and denominations are trying to get into the cheer of the season. From decorative lights to trees and menorahs, students are attempting to make their time in the dorms and apartments a more enjoyable one for the holidays.
"I love decorating my room," said Jen Lathrop, a sophomore psychology major. "Although I am not home yet, it makes me feel more comfortable to put up lights, hang up snowflakes and listen to Holiday music."
Christmas lights are one of the most popular holiday decorations of choice among students. With so many students hanging them in their dorm rooms and apartments, they have become not only a holiday decoration but also a year round staple.
"I think Christmas lights have become more than just a holiday decoration," said Marc Stellrecht, a former resident advisor in the Governors Residence Halls and current community assistant in Flint Village. "I have seen them hung up from move-in to move-out."
Not only have lights become more prevalent in the dorms, but students are also starting to show their culinary talent, baking cookies, cakes and pies for the upcoming holiday season.
According to Stellrecht, the kitchens in the dorms become "much more popular" when students return from Fall Recess.
"I love baking cookies at school," said Joe Menechino, a junior electrical engineering major. "When I was young, I always baked for the holidays with my mom. It is nice to have some comforts of home when you are away."
Christmas trees have also become a popular dorm-room addition for the seasonal decorator as well. Although a typical dorm room is small for the traditional-sized Christmas tree, students have become very creative with their tree decorating.
"When I lived in the dorms I used to have a little three foot tree with lights and ornaments," said Melissa Paleschi, a senior communication major. "What made it more fun was that my roommate was Jewish and so we put a Star of David on top of it. It made both of us so happy to share each other's holiday with one another."
Although Hanukkah has passed, UB's Jewish students also take care to decorate their dorms for the holiday.
"My faith is very important to me and having a Menorah in my dorm room is not as much a decoration as it is a necessity," said Erica Tenebaum, a junior media studies major.
With so much extra electricity lighting the dorms and apartments this season, it is important that UB students follow a few simple instructions to ensure that decorating is not only fun, but also safe.
"It is a violation to hang anything off of water pipes and sprinkler attachments," said Stellrecht. "It is also suggested that all electronics, regardless of what they might be, should be plugged into a power strip so that power surges and fires do not occur."
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
