Christmas is in the Air

Samantha Strub
MSM Class of 2013

(12/2011) Christmas is in the air--with decorations and the sound of Christmas music. The Mount brings the spirit of Christmas to the students as we all prepare for the last three weeks and the semester comes to a close. During these three weeks all the students are stressed with the number of papers, tests, and projects all due around the same time. The Mount helps bring Christmas cheer and the feeling of home to campus. It is a small gesture, but it means so much to the students to have that small bit of Christmas.

The spirit comes by the way the campus is decorated with Christmas trees, wreaths, and lights decorating the cafeteria. They bring a smile to your face when you walk in. As you are eating, the decorations bring joy and Christmas spirit to your dinner and to the rest of your day. They help calm and relax the students as they focus on their studies.

Other ways the Mount decorates is through the arcs of lights lining the road into campus and the Nativity scene that it places in front of the Academic Center. The arcs of lights are gorgeous at night, and they signal that Christmas is coming along with the end of the semester. It is always a comforting sign when you see the light arches going up because it adds to the campus environment and lets you know that the stress of finals will not last forever. The Nativity scene in front of the Academic Center reminds us of where our hearts really need to be during the Christmas season. You have to place the focus on what truly matters because that is what Christmas is really about.

The students take matters into their own hands to decorate their rooms. Most of the time you see traditional decorations like Christmas lights across the ceiling. Some students in the apartments take decorating to another level and go all out. They put lights all over the ceilings and walls of their apartments, making the place come alive with color and Christmas spirit. They put up mini trees because, as everyone knows, you cannot have Christmas without a tree. It helps get you in the mood. Stockings are another wonderful way to bring the Christmas spirit into your apartment. Even college students love being reminded of Christmases past--of running downstairs and seeing what goodies Santa brought for them in the stockings that hang over the fireplace. When students are really serious, they bring out the garland and run that around their apartments. It adds a little shine and shimmer to their Christmas spirit.

The surroundings all come together when music keeps the focus on Jesus. The music instantly evokes the right spirit. The songs add such sunshine and happiness to your life, when you’re in your room, driving the car, or doing anything else. They float you away to another world of bliss and comfort.

When you walk into your house coming home for Christmas the first thing that hits you is the scent of cookies. You can’t wait to sit down with a cup of coffee and a warm cookie right out of the oven and chit chat with your family after being gone since August. Bringing that feeling of warmth, love, and holiday feeling into your apartment is one of the best things that we can do in order to inspire holiday spirit. Baking cookies and other delicious goodies with your roommates is a wonderful way to create Christmas spirit and grow your relationships. It is a wonderful feeling to bake with your friends and talk about everything under the sun. Try it for a break in your studies. It will do wonders.

All of these elements of Christmas bring everything together. The decorations outside and in your room, the music, the cookies and the correct focus all produce the holiday spirit. Make sure you bring some to your dorm room; you don’t want the spirit to pass you by.

Read past editions of Samantha Strub's Four Years at the Mount