As the air gets colder, the decorative lights start going up, festive music and scenes start to emerge left and right around cities across the world, it is nearly impossible to stop yourself from getting into the holiday spirit. Winter is a time full of cheer – but it's also a time full of chapped lips, cold hands, and dark 4 o’clocks. Inside is a place of solace, but it can be hard to find a way to bring the joy of the season with you. Though not entirely winter-proof, crafts can help get ahead of the curve, and most can be done with low-budget, and low-light. So light your fireplace, or the Amazon LED lights hanging in your dorm room, and start creating.
One staple of dorm-room crafting has been a pack of construction paper, found in any local Target or art-supplies store. Printer paper can even suffice with a little imagination. At the beginning of the semester, I bought a 240 pack of construction paper with the intention of scrapbooking – I have yet to open the scrapbook, but the paper has been put to good use. Each season, my roommate and I have designated construction paper crafts, starting with paper jack-o-lanterns for Halloween, hand turkeys for Thanksgiving, and of course, paper snowflakes for when the weather is too bone-chilling to journey into.
One night, my friend came to me presenting a paper snowflake she made from a sticky note. These tiny slices of winter spirit can be held in the palm of your hands. The materials are as simple as scissors, any piece of paper that can be folded, and a bit of geometric awareness, though the latter is purely optional. Huddled in a dorm room, my friends and I created over 20 unique paper snowflakes, which now hang from the ceiling, adhered with a piece of ribbon and a Command hook. Thus, a winter wonderland is born.
The beauty of paper snowflakes is that each is entirely different from the one made before. Even with the greatest efforts, no two can be made exactly alike. Different cut-outs produce different results, but plenty can be found online, though I find the most precious patterns come from the heart, mimicking the individuality of the natural snowflakes. Some can be elaborate, as pictured above, with multiple sheets of paper twisted and cut and stapled to create a star shape. With a touch of glue and glitter, a glistening snowy evening can be brought directly into your bedroom, no mittens and scarves necessary.
Another at-home craft is clothes pin snowmen, a revolutionary idea to a younger version of myself. Back in elementary school, we used to have holiday parties, and I would spend my time creating individual snow-people characters with elaborate backstories and relationships to one another, while the last part is not necessary, it is highly encouraged to add an extra something to a cold winter crafting night. The materials necessary for this craft can be as simple as a pack of clothes pins and some colored pens, but glitter and felt for accessories is always a priceless add-on. Pinterest can offer a plethora of other ideas, including cotton ball igloos, DIY snow globes, and egg carton penguins – all activities which ensure a cheerful and warm winter night.
Here’s the catch: if you’re lucky enough to get to hold onto the collection of crafts made this season, a warmth will float around you at the sight of the simplest of shapes cut from paper, and the memories of sitting on the floor, warm for the first time all day, passing glue and scissors and tape to the people you love, will remind you what the season is really all about.
Written By Anna Albrecht