Home for the Holidays

While the controversy over politically correct decorations has left the house dining halls bare this season, students continue to brighten the dull days of December by decking the walls, mantels and windows of their own humble abodes.

Many students, perhaps picking up on university sentiments, decorate their rooms in a non-denominational nature, celebrating the general holiday spirit more than a specific religious occasion.

Holiday trappings range from simple white lights strung around window frames to elaborate set-ups students concoct from items either bought in the Square or brought from home.

The old standby in room decorations remains the standard string of CVS lights strung around a window or ceiling moulding, but some students have come up with more festive and inventive ways to show their holiday spirit.

One rooming group in Mattthews has found a variation on the old themes. Instead of simply stringing lights inside their room, these roommates wrapped four sets of colored lights around their window frames and then proceeded to drape the wires onto the branches of two nearby trees.

"We were interested in doing something a little grander than the old usual," says Geoffrey C. Upton '99.

"We wanted to try and out do the other dorms, but all in all, we feel that the lights have added more of a creative holiday spirit to the Yard," he says.

Upton's rooming group, however, temporarily ran into some trouble when Yard Operations informed them the lights were a fire hazard.

"Our assistant dean talked to the people and convinced them to allow us to keep the lights up until vacation," he says.

As far as decorations within first-year dorms are concerned, Grays Proctor Matt DeGreeff '89 says he has no knowledge of any university rules limiting decorations within the rooms themselves.

Another common find in student holiday decor this year is the non-denominational fir tree. An example of a non-Christmas' tree can be found in the common room of a Wigglesworth rooming group.

"We are all different religions in this room so the tree doesn't really have any religious significance," says Ariel S. Frey '99. "We just thought it would be fun to get one and decorate it, since only one of us has had one before."

"In fact, we decorated it with both Christmas and Hanukkah decorations and we are going to make a menorah this weekend out of clay we bought," she says.

"Plus it just smells nice," adds Frey's roommate, Kristin N. Javaras.

In the second floor window of Hollis South can be found a holiday tree courtesy of entryway Proctor Kurt Wheeler.

"When Kurt came back after Thanksgiving with the tree, everyone got excited," says Sharon A. Lee '99. "No one cared that it was a Christmas thing. It is really the holiday spirit that counts," she says.

More unusual decorations are hung in the infamous Currier House ten-man suite where the decorations are home-made from common household items such as empty beer cans and underwear.

"Decorations bring cheer to an otherwise dreary life at Harvard," says Chip W. Hellar '96.

His roommate, Paul D. Cabana '96 adds, "God bless us, everyone."

Of course, there are rooms which have the more traditional religious decorations on display.

A rooming group in Wigglesworth H-entry has a miniature version of the Christmas home setting, complete with mini-tree and stockings hung over the chimney for the arrival of St. Nick.

"We decorated because we care," says Shan Mishra '99.

"Actually we were kind of disappointed with the decorations in Cambridge, so it was nice to have our own to come home to," he says.

In Quincy, Alden M. Mitchell '98 put up tinsel and lights to help alleviate an overburdened work load.

"I was depressed with how much work I had to do and so I thought some tinsel and lights would make me feel better," she says.

A rooming group in DeWolfe attempted a larger endeavor with all the trimmings complete including tree, decorations and menorah.

"I really like having our room decorated because it makes everything more homey," says Stacey L. Gordon '98.

"I really love the holidays," adds roommate Lisa A. Halliday '98.

"I especially like having different religions in our room, it makes celebrating the holidays even nicer," Gordon says.

An Eliot House blocking group of eleven people went to great lengths to decorate their room with lights, stockings and dradles.

"The decorations really make us all hang out in the common room," says Christine A. Murtha '96.

This year's decorations are nothing new to Murtha's blocking group.

"We always have decorated our room because it just makes the holidays more festive and cheery," she says.