Right after Halloween, the world seems to jump right into the winter holiday season. It seems like we make a jump from spider web and jack-o-lantern covered homes to colored lights and reindeer. We tend to overshadow the holiday right in the middle, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Thursday is even overshadowed by Black Friday, when everyone fights for the best gift deals for the next upcoming holidays.
A junior public relations major Laurel Weber said, “I don’t think it’s right that Thanksgiving in general gets overshadowed by holidays like Christmas because Thanksgiving is a holiday that our country was founded on, whereas religious holidays, only some of the country celebrates. Decorations for Thanksgiving should be essential for everyone to take part in the holiday spirit, not just skip onto the next one.”
Nonetheless, if you don’t rush your holidays away and wish to appreciate each one of them, there are plenty of Thanksgiving decorations to use. Don’t feel like spending too much money, but want to get in the spirit of Turkey Day? You’re in luck.
You can start off with the easiest and cheapest way by walking outside. Pick up some different colored leaves and take them inside. Rinse them off to get the dirt washed away, and lay them out to dry. Stick them in a closed book for a day or two to flatten them out. Get a long piece of string ready. Cut out bubble letter words like “Happy Thanksgiving” or “Be Thankful” from magazines or make them yourself from paper. Paste them onto the leaves so they spell out a Thanksgiving phrase, and hang them from string on a wall or mantle.
Junior public relations and radio/TV major Allie Phillips is familiar with finding cheap and easy ways to decorate door tags since she is a Resident Assistant in Oakwood Hall. Monthly, the RAs must make door tags for the residents and usually the tags are themed based on the time of year.
“For Thanksgiving, I made foam maple leaves in maroon, orange, yellow and brown colors and used puffy paint to write the residents’ names on them, then covered them in glitter,” she said.
An education major and RA, Mariola Cieloch said, “For the month of November, I decorated my door tags and bulletin board with Thanksgiving decor. I feel that often Thanksgiving is overshadowed by Christmas. Therefore, I wanted my residence not to forget about Thanksgiving but look forward to the break.”
After you’ve got your place prepped with a Thanksgiving leaf sign, it is time to focus on actually giving thanks. If you have any leftover pumpkins from Halloween, don’t throw them out. The next idea is to make those leftover pumpkins into a turkey. If you don’t have pumpkins, you can use anything from a stuffed sock to a paper plate for the turkey’s body. For a mini version, you can even use a plastic spoon. You might want to pick up some red and orange construction paper and googly eyes from the dollar store for this one. After putting the eyes on whichever body you’ve assembled, cut out a small beak from construction paper as well as feathers. On each feather, write each reason why you are thankful for your roommate and glue them onto the turkey. When your friends are checking out the turkey, they’ll be delightfully surprised to find the hidden messages!
Now that you’ve got your turkey, pilgrim decor is a must as well. Next time you’re buying solo cups, buy black instead of the classic red. Glue the black cup onto a cut out circle of construction paper. Then, cut a square from yellow paper and glue it in the center of the cup. There you have it, a simple pilgrim hat center piece for your dining room (or dorm room) table!
Pinterest.com is a great site to get ideas from. Communication professor Mary Harris said, “Social media sites such as Pinterest and Facebook have connected us to blogs galore, where holiday decoration ideas are abundantly shared. On Pinterest, for instance, any user can search ‘Thanksgiving ideas’ or ‘Thanksgiving decorations’ and then filter the search by pin or board, and there are are a variety of DIY projects and craft ideas to choose from. If used properly, Pinterest and other content we retrieve from Facebook or blogs can encourage us to get more creative and expand our artistic horizons.”
Remember, with these easy and cheap methods, you can make your living space Thanksgiving ready. This holiday gives so much for us to celebrate, like spending time with family and friends and sharing a delicious meal. Thanksgiving is a day to be grateful, so whip out your creative side and decorate.
PHOTO TAKEN from projectnursery.com
