With the end of the semester in sight, some students are looking for a way to make it through.
The holidays might not be for a few weeks, but it’s never too early to start marking your calendar with festive plans. Here are a few fun things to do to keep the stress of classes at bay and bring some holiday cheer to your world.
1. Set the mood
It can be hard to frown when you’re surrounded by multicolored lights.
Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft, 533 Mall Court, in Lansing, is a great place to take your roommates and look for holiday decorations to help you get through finals, with constant deals on a variety of merchandise, including tinsel you can border the room with, garlands to lay on your dresser or desk and holly you can stick in a vase and set on the dinner table.
I suggest investing in a mini Christmas tree for your dorm, apartment or house, which can be found at a variety of places including Walmart, 5110 Times Square Place, in Okemos, for $20 or less. Personalize your tree by decorating pictures of you and your friends, or family from back home who you can’t wait to see over winter break.
And if you’re on a budget, creating paper snowflakes to hang from the ceiling is an easy, cheap way to decorate this winter as well.
2. Spend time giving
The holidays aren’t all about the presents and the pretty bows, but a time to really appreciate the magic of giving. You can help out in your backyard at the MSU Food Bank by donating canned and boxed goods or money. The group works in correlation with the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, 2116 Mint Road, in Lansing, to provide food and services to community kitchens, shelters and food pantries. Give the corporation a call at (517) 702-3355 to find out where you can volunteer to help out, serving food to the needy or helping the organization in other ways.
3. Say “cheese” with Santa
I’m confident many students have a picture of themselves smiling, or probably crying, on Santa’s lap when they were much younger, but most overlook this holiday tradition today. Next time you head to the mall with your friends to pick out gifts for mom and dad, take a few minutes and gather around jolly old Saint Nick to capture a Christmas memory. Just one photo can bring something special this holiday and leave you with physical evidence of one of the crazy antics of your time in college.
Before you head home for break, you can visit Santa at the Meridian Mall, 1982 W. Grand River Ave., in Okemos, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
4. Build a homeless gingerbread man a home
If you built a gingerbread house in your days of elementary school like I did, you might remember how much fun it was. Relive your childhood creative adventures this season to see if your candy architectural skills have improved. You can find kits for building gingerbread houses at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft — and usually on sale. The gingerbread is pre-baked, and frosting and candy accessories are included in the kit.
There are other gingerbread projects to build, such as trees and trains, and don’t forget, you can always choose to be adventurous and construct your own gingerbread creation for scratch.
5. Visit Frankenmuth
In my opinion, Frankenmuth, Mich., is the state’s Christmas utopia — and worth the drive. While riding through the town, you’ll find a village full of holiday spirit, as large, lit-up ornaments in shapes of presents and toys line streets filled with horse-drawn carriages.
You can head in and out of dozens of stores, including Frankenmuth Fudge Kitchen, 606 S. Main St., where you can find original Frankenmuth fudge in a variety of flavors. Frankenmuth River Place, 925 S. Main St., features more than 30 shops in a European-style village setting, including The Michigan Shoppe, where you can find Michigan-themed gifts and jewelry incorporating the Petoskey stone.
Visit Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, 25 Christmas Lane, and you can find every imaginable type of holiday decoration. The huge store features rows and rows of ornaments, tinsel, toys and fun. You can help the whole family celebrate and purchase bulbs for mom, bulbs for dad and even bulbs for your cat.
After a day full of shopping and admiring the atmosphere, the Bavarian Inn of Frankenmuth, 1 Covered Bridge Lane, provides German-themed dining, including entrées such as Wiener Schnitzel.
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For more information about what you can do in Frankenmuth, visit frankenmuth.org.
