{"id":4429,"date":"2025-11-26T11:20:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T11:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/?p=4429"},"modified":"2025-11-26T15:37:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T15:37:56","slug":"deck-the-student-halls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/2025\/11\/26\/deck-the-student-halls\/","title":{"rendered":"8 budget-friendly ways to deck the (student) halls"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re hosting a party or cooking a big dinner with your flatmates, you might be thinking about decorating for Christmas.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The good news? You don\u2019t need a big budget to make your student halls feel festive. <\/span><\/p>\n

With a little creativity and some teamwork, you can turn your space into a winter wonderland without breaking the bank. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are 8 budget-friendly ideas to get you started…<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Paper<\/p>\n

1. DIY decorations<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Forget pricey ornaments – grab some scrap paper, old lecture notes, or even cereal boxes. Cut out snowflakes, stars, or mini Christmas trees and place them around your room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Paper is flammable, so take care not to display these near heat sources including radiators, lights, candles, and fireplaces.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not feeling creative? You can buy 49 baubles for \u00a33.99 from The Range<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Fairy<\/p>\n

2. Twinkly lights<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fairy lights are the ultimate student hack. They\u2019re cheap, cheerful, and instantly cosy. <\/span>Drape them over shelves or around your desk to brighten up your space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have empty jars lying around or taking up space in your recycling box, you can turn them into decorations too. <\/span>Pop some battery-operated candles in them and you\u2019ve got a centrepiece for your table.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Make sure lights are switched off when you go to sleep or leave the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dried<\/p>\n

3. Natural touches<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dried orange slices, pinecones, and cinnamon sticks are not only cheap but smell incredible. <\/span><\/p>\n

Scatter them in bowls or string them up for a rustic touch. It\u2019s like bringing a Christmas market into your halls.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Colourful<\/p>\n

4. Cardboard boxes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe you still have <\/span>cardboard boxes left over from when you moved in. <\/span>Why not wrap them up and turn them into prop presents? Nobody needs to know they\u2019re empty!<\/span><\/p>\n

All you need is wrapping paper, scissors and tape. You could even decorate them with pens or the paper decorations you made earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Open<\/p>\n

5. Festive playlist <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Decor isn\u2019t just visual – it\u2019s about atmosphere. Create a Christmas playlist or find an existing one and play it through your phone, iPad, or a small speaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unsure about what songs to add, our music lecturer has compiled a list of the 10 most underrated Christmas songs<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Christmas<\/p>\n

6. Tree alternatives<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Can\u2019t afford a real tree? No problem. Stack your textbooks into a tree shape and wrap them in tinsel. <\/span>You could even add some tinsel around your houseplant pot and put it in a prominent place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Small, tabletop trees are also a great option, saving money and space. There\u2019s one in B&Q<\/a> for \u00a33.00.<\/span><\/p>\n

Come up with your own quirky tree alternatives or get more inspiration from ELLE Decor<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Iced<\/p>\n

7. Taste of Christmas<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Candy canes, chocolates, gingerbread – they\u2019re decorations you can eat. That\u2019s a win win. <\/span>Hang them on your tree or scatter them around. <\/span><\/p>\n

You could even bake some Christmas cakes or cookies and present them on a nice plate. There are some tasty festive recipes on the BBC Food website<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

8. Group effort<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas is about community and spending time with loved ones, so get your flatmates involved. <\/span><\/p>\n

If each of you contributes one item – lights, tinsel, baubles – you\u2019ll spread the cost and create something bigger and better than you could alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Decorating your student halls doesn\u2019t have to cost a fortune. With a mix of DIY, recycling and teamwork, you can create a festive space that feels warm and welcoming. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re hosting a party or cooking a big dinner with your flatmates, you might be thinking about decorating for Christmas. The good news? You don\u2019t need a big budget to make your student halls feel festive. With a little creativity and some teamwork, you can turn your space into a winter wonderland without breaking … Continue reading “8 budget-friendly ways to deck the (student) halls”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25094,"featured_media":4450,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[210,255,256],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2025\/11\/fujiphilm-lGMsEiGXHVw-unsplash.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4429"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25094"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4429"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4457,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4429\/revisions\/4457"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}