As the holidays approach, and people start to buy gifts to put under the Christmas tree, setting up candles for Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. There is one thing that people do to be in the holiday spirit throughout the whole month of December and January, and that’s the decorations. The lights, the greenery, the candles, and angles are some to list that people set up for the holidays so to bring the holiday joy early.

Sophomore Jaylie Echternach explained when it’s a good time to start decorating for the holidays. “It’s just based on a preference. Because some people have a favorite holiday, it could start November 1st or the day after Thanksgiving,” Echternach explained. “Me personally, I think it’s a good time to wait after Thanksgiving, just because Thanksgiving is important too and for being thankful for what you have, like family and friends around you.”

During the holidays, sophomore Emma Schudel expressed how much she enjoys and loves the holidays.

“I love the holidays, because everybody is typically happier and everybody is excited for the holidays and it’s just such a happy time and there’s also a lot of good songs and the decorations, it’s just so beautiful,” said Schudel.

Not only Christmas is the only thing that is that is celebrated through winter, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah is also celebrated. In Kwanzaa, they use candles for decorations. They use 7 candles, three red, one blue and three green. Hanukkah also uses Candles for decorations.

People have a specific type of decoration that they like, whether it’s lights, ornaments, or trees. Jody Spriggs, Art department chair, talked about how she decorates for the holidays and why she likes it.

“I like an interesting mix of contemporary with traditional,” Spriggs commented. “I like the kind of fun traditional things, like a single candle on a window or wreaths and bows. But then I like some of the new mix with things we can do with the contemporary LED lights.”

Echternach also brought up her favorite type of decorations. She said, “I like putting up the ornaments on the tree, I love doing that with my family. But then I also like going around town and seeing all the Christmas lights and seeing how people decorate their houses.”

Spriggs also commented on how simple it can be for decorating something and still have a strong meaning to the holidays.

“I think everybody should take joy and it doesn’t have to be expensive like people can spend a ton of money on lights and accessories,” said Spriggs. “It doesn’t have to commercial, it can be something as simple as a bag of dry cranberries and popcorn and put on strings, it can be paper chains, it could be cutting out silhouette of snowflakes and taping them on your window and all of those things take next to nothing.”

Spriggs not only explains how simple it decorating can be, she also mentioned why holiday decorating is important. “I think that’s what I would like to see, is people enjoying and just making that childlife wonderment in our holidays, there is nothing wrong with that, I don’t care how old you are.”

Holiday decorating is a fun way for people to start setting up for the holidays that they enjoy the most and spend time with family and friends.