American author Washington Irving once wrote “Christmas! ‘Tis the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial fire of charity in the heart.” With that in mind, I decided to do a little kindling myself. My friend Carlyle and I made a trip to Camino Real, where we picked up our supplies. We returned to campus and began putting up some decorations.

Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. — Francis C. Farley

This rang true as we covered my dormroom door in wrapping paper. Once the door was covered in wrapping paper, we added a two foot-wide red bow. For the door’s final touch we attached a card to it that reads “Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah! To: Everyone. From: Liam & Sean and Carlyle too!“. Our massive door-present was complete. Now Sean and I get to open a present multiple times a day.

After completing the door modification, Car and I decided to move down to the lounge. Earlier, when we were at Home Depot, I bought a tree and upon return, hid it in my room. We planned out what we would decorate it with and then got to work. I carried the tree out of my room and down the stairwell, leaving a telling trail of needles all over the floor. Car brought the Christmas lights and the heavy-duty tree stand and we got to work setting the tree up.

In the traditional spirit of secret santas, we had intended to be secretive about the decorations. As it turned out though, some people were still up and were eager to help (which was actually really needed). Santosh Santatosh helped with standing the tree up and ensuring its stability. Maura spotted our operation and started taking photos (some of which you see here). I had a bunch of colorful blank CDs which we fashioned as ornaments. Ian and I shared the honors of placing the Christmas Sponge on top of the tree (hey, we couldn’t find anything that looked like a star). Everyone began creating paper snowflake type things. Eva and Carlyle consistently created paper art while I started stringing Christmas lights up on the loft and hanging from the main lamp. I wrapped some things up in wrapping paper and placed them under the tree. Eventually, the lounge was decorated nicely and we said our goodnights and headed off to sleep. Back upstairs, we redirected the trail of needles to lead to Ian and Justin’s room which we hoped would throw anyone off the trail (just in case). Then we went to sleep knowing that our efforts had been worthwhile.

Updated on Thursday…
Well, the tree (and the door) have both been well received. The kindling of Christmas spirit has spread like wildfire. On Wednesday evening, the house met in the lounge for a holiday party with food, drinks, and good company. We sang Christmas carols and had a merry time. Today I am glad that my finals are over and that I’m free to go home but at the same time I know I’m going to miss this hall. What a great group of kids!

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” -Bill Vaughan