Students from Regester House gathered to decorate their dorm and celebrate Christmas. They painted ornaments, talked to each other and had hot chocolate along with some desserts. Festivities included singing and music.

“My favourite part was when the girls brought out their guitar and ukulele and they started singing for a little bit. That was fun,” senior Hillary Tunnell said.

She hoped that a decorating party would boost the Christmas spirit of the dorm and encouraged the girls to be a part of the tradition.

“Decoration is something that people will see when they entering the dorm and so it is fun to be a part of decorating your own space because that is where you live and hanging out with your friends,” Tunnell said.

Senior Sophia Kalusche enjoyed this activity in the dorm by making ornaments with her friends.

“It’s very relaxing. Also I am able to have conversations with the other girls about their Christmas traditions. It is fun to sit at a table, painting ornament but yet talking and joking around with the girls,” Kalusche said. “Also, it is very nice to observe how the entire dorm begins to be decorated with Christmas items and how the spirit and excitement about the upcoming break increases.”

Many dorm students find themselves alone during the holiday season.

“The holiday season is usually filled with family traditions. However, the boarding students have to be far away from home for most of the time which certainly isn’t easy”, Kalusche said.

Therefore, a small but cozy party would help building the dorm community.

“In order to forget the homesickness and more importantly get distracted from the exam stress all of us are currently having, I believe little and easy activities like these are very important. They improve the dorm community as well as distract all of us for a short period of time,” Kalusche said.