Celebrating Holiday spirit

It's the holidays again, and like the song says, 'tis the season to be jolly. But for many JMU students getting ready for finals week, 'tis the season to be stressed, over-tired, cranky, broke and ready to get out of Harrisonburg for a few weeks.

No matter what the outlook may be on the holiday season, there is no denying that this is one of the busiest times of the year. But despite how jammed-pack schedules may be these next few weeks, it's important to remember to take a little time out to enjoy the holidays. Put down your books, crawl out from cubicles in the library, or, if you are one of the many skilled procrastinators out there, put off studying just a little longer, because it's time to celebrate the holidays for a bit. And the best way to do this, of course, is to have a party.

Throwing a good holiday party, however, requires a bit more care and consideration than hosting your average, run-of-the-mill keg-kicker. What are the necessary ingredients to ensure a successful seasons greetings bash? Here are some tips from a few JMU students who already gave in to the hankering of their holiday spirits.

Ingredient One: Food
We've all grown somewhat accustomed to that lovely little weight gain that mysteriously sneaks up on us sometime between the end of November and the new year. It's not our fault, food is what the holidays are all about; it's what makes them so enjoyable. So when planning a holiday bash, keep in mind that nothing says seasons greetings better than a good plate of munchies.

Senior Laura Fedge and her roommates kept this in mind when they held their Christmas cocktail party Saturday night.

"We decided before Thanksgiving that we wanted to have a Christmas party and that we wanted it to be a cocktail party," Fedge said.

Fedge and her roommates extended invitations via word-of-mouth to friends, asking them to bring a bottle of wine. The hostesses provided a unique array of refreshments.

"Each roommate made something of her own," Fedge said. "I made macaroons and eggnog." The other roommates contributed spinach dip,veggie trays and various beverages.

Senior Amanda Packard is going potluck with her Christmas party tonight.
"[Pot luck] works best because then you don't have to do all the cooking," Packard said, "and since I'm on a diet, I can plan what I want to fix and eat."

Depending on how big your party is, you don't necessarily need an elaborate spread of food. Juniors Nicole Reyes and Cristine Thompson kept their refreshment list simple on Saturday with cheese and crackers.

Ingredient Two: Decorations
Christmas is easily the most decorative holiday of the year, so when planning a Christmas party, adorning your house with trinkets of the holidays is a must. What's a holiday party without at least a few lights strung around?
Fedge and her roommates went all out when decorating their Elizabeth Street home.

"We hung glitter decorations," Fedge said. "We have a front porch, so we wrapped lights around that."

The housemates also put lights around all the doors and windows, the staircase and the Christmas tree.

Packard's Christmas party is sure to be a decorative one as well.
"I've decorated my apartment with [blinking] lights on the porch, and a Christmas flag with a Santa on it that says 'holiday greetings' on my front door," Packard said. "I have a fake Christmas tree with colored lights, ornaments and tinsel. I also have Christmas plaid table cloths on my tables, snowmen glasses and cups, a Cabbage Patch Christmas figure, Christmas candy dishes, a Santa lamp and stockings my roommies and I made freshman year [that] we still have." Packard said her roommates love the way she decorates for the holidays.

Sophomore Ashley Williams said the Christmas parties she threw in high school required large amounts of garland, mistletoe and low lighting.

While decorations truly can make a party, there is no need to break the bank on them. No one is expecting your apartment to resemble a Martha Stewart creation. Our very own Valley Mall is home to two of the world's most renowned Christmas decoration havens — Wal-Mart and The Dollar Store.

"Wal-Mart pretty much supplied our party," Fedge said. Williams agreed that Wal-Mart and The Dollar Store are the best places to find cheap decorations. And if you're truly pinched for cash, there are always plenty of decorations you can "borrow" from home.

Ingredient Three: Music
Without music, all you really have is a bunch of people standing around with cups in their hand. Music is the lifeblood of any party, holiday ones included. Christmas carols are fun, but it's probably a good idea to mix things up a bit for excitement's sake.

"I played Christmas music upstairs around all the food," Williams remembered, "and had the regular dance music in the basement for the partiers."

Fedge also incorporated a variety of music selections at her party.
"[We had] everything from jazz to Frank Sinatra to Christmas music to hip-hop," Fedge said.

Ingredient Four: Dress Code
Most people enjoy dressing up for any sort of party and holiday ones are no different. Tharrington and Fedge said that semi-formal attire was the norm at their holiday parties.

"The boys wore a nice shirts and khakis," Tharrington said, "and a lot of the girls either wore red pants and a black top or black pants and a red top."
Williams said she preferred a more casual dress code at her holiday parties.

Formal or casual, crowded or low-key, holiday parties should be about enjoying the season with friends and loved ones. They should offer a break from what could otherwise be a very stressful couple of weeks.

"Christmas parties are just plain cute," Williams said "Everyone's gotta have a smile on their face with all the fun decorations. [They're] just awesome …[there is] no reason not to throw one.