If you are one of the lucky students who evaded McCormick exams, Medill final projects and those Weinberg professors who bend the rules and still assign papers during Reading Period, chances are you might be stopping by some holiday parties before finals begin. For those not going on Ski Trip, Reading Period may be your last chance to have fun with your Northwestern friends until 2014. Here are some tips to help you make memories that will last you through Winter Break (aka binge-watching Netflix for three weeks straight).
Stock up on ugly Christmas sweaters at thrift stores.
Maybe Macklemore is to blame, but ugly Christmas sweaters seem to be the norm at most holiday events around campus. Before you break your bank account on the overpriced selection at Urban Outfitters, check out thrift shops and second-hand stores in Evanston or nearby Chicago neighborhoods. Typically students gain bragging rights by having the ugliest sweater, and you’ll find much better treasures (think light-up reindeer noses and sequin Santas) if you search a little harder.
Be practical about holiday-themed costumes.
Holiday parties offer the perfect opportunity to break out your Santa hats and reindeer antlers. But take a hint from Santa checking his list, and think twice before leaving the house in a holiday costume. Although it may be your dream to wear flannel pajamas or footie pajamas to a party, they are much less comfortable on a hot, crowded dance floor than they are when you’re lounging on the couch. Also, some freshman girls inevitably will have the brilliant idea to wear wrapping paper and dress as presents. Spoiler alert: Paper rips.
Warm drinks should be reserved for snowy days.
Although apple cider and hot chocolate may seem like a pleasant departure from the typical college party libations, they become increasingly less appealing when you are sipping them crammed in a room with dozens of other people also wearing heavy sweaters, fluffy pajamas and fleece hats. Proceed with caution and take advantage of eggnog before it runs out.
Never turn down the seasonal music.
Although I may biased as someone who listened to NSYNC’s “Home for Christmas” while pulling together a Halloween costume on Nov. 1, one of the best things about Christmas parties is the music. December is the only time of year you can’t have too much Mariah Carey, so embrace it.
Enjoy it.
For NU students, the words “I have so much work to do” come as naturally as breathing and fan-girling about “Harry Potter.” Reading Period days are for homework, but if you can manage to escape 4S at night, try not to be the person talking about how many pages you have left to write of your political science paper due next week. Make the most of your Fall Quarter before your love of snow turns to hate, your soul dies a little, and you don’t leave your house unless forced until Spring Quarter.
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Twitter: @Cat_Zakrzewski
