NU students deck the residence halls

String up those twinkling Christmas lights. Strike a match and light those candles on your Menorah. Don't forget to roast your chestnuts on an open fire.

But wait, you can't.

According to the Department of Residential Life, students may not keep candles or hang Christmas lights in their residence halls.

"It's a safety precaution," said Bob Jose, director of ResLife.

With the holiday season in full swing, many Northeastern students are far from the festive decorations of their homes.

"It sucks, because at home, I would definitely put up the lights, the tree, candles, but I can't do that here because I would violate policy," said LaTanya Lemon, a middler physical therapy major.

Lemon plans to buy paper decorations and hang them on her walls.

Jessica Rossman, a resident of Douglass Park and a sophomore biology major, plans to bring the feeling of "family" to her apartment. 

Rossman will hang a stocking for each of her roommates. She also plans to buy a fake tree and decorate it. After a trip to the Christmas Tree Shop during her Thanksgiving break, Douglass Park apartment is filled with Christmas cheer, Rossman said.

Northeastern students are trying to transform their otherwise dull, chalk-colored residence hall rooms into winter wonderlands.

And decorating is not just a feminine affair; there is one apartment of males that breaks the mold.

"We made a [fake] fireplace to make our apartment feel more like home so we can sit by it when it gets cold and drink hot cocoa," said Justin Stelmok, a resident of Willis Hall and sophomore business major.

Stelmok added that his roommates still needed to paint their fireplace and hang stockings from it.

"We might hang a wreath above it and get all our pictures taken with Santa to put on the mantel," Stelmok said. 

ResLife has a schedule packed with events for the holiday season, Jose said.

ResLife will sponsor activities that include various holiday parties and writing Christmas cards for children in Boston's Children's Hospital and for the troops in Iraq. They will run holiday food and can drives and serve food to the elderly. ResLife will also sponsor an event where students will be able to build gingerbread houses. They will also hold a movie marathon, where a variety of holiday movies will be shown, Jose said.

There will be an educational program called "Holidays Around the World." This program will explain holiday traditions in other countries, Jose said.

ResLife will also sponsor the "White Wall of Hope," where students can write down what they hope for during the holiday season and into the new year. The wall will be located in the lobby of White Hall.

Keep your eyes open for posters and listings for the dates of these events throughout December.

The Resident Assistants (RAs) are planning holiday activities in full force as well.

Tiffany Phelan, an RA in West Village A and a sophomore nursing major, is sponsoring the Salvation Army program for her West Village residents.

"You pick an angel off the tree. Each angel has the name of a child and their clothing size, items needed and a wish list. You can get whatever you can or want for that specific child," Phelan said. 

The events planned for this holiday season will enable Northeastern students to spread a little cheer to those who are less fortunate.

Still some students are creating their own holiday traditions around campus.

Matthew Jones, a sophomore computer science major, planned a Secret Santa gift swap with his eight friends. One person randomly picks the name of another friend and keeps that name a secret, Jones said.

"You buy or make the gift. You get it to the person without them knowing it was from you by leaving it while they are in class or have another friend deliver it," Jones said.

So if you want to bring the feeling of home to Northeastern for the holidays, you might want to participate in one of ResLife's holiday events, plan your own holiday fun or deck your residence hall for all to see.