Loan running low? Here’s 10 budget ways to get into the Exeter Christmas spirit

By December, the student loan is always running a little dry. One too many venoms and VKs in weeks past means you’re now stuck to a strict budget of £30 a week and the cold temperatures and short daylight hours are ruining the run-up to Christmas.

Well, if that sounds like you, you’re in luck – here’s a list of 10 things to do in Exeter to put you in the festive spirit without pushing your bank account into overdraft.

1. Visit the Christmas markets

The Exeter Christmas markets are the epitome of raising winter spirits and starting the Christmas countdown. The key here is window shopping and wandering. If it’s in the budget, invest in a hot chocolate or mulled wine to keep your hands toasty as you make the circuit around the picturesque stands and stalls.

2. Festive film night

What screams The Holiday spirit more than watching Jude Law woo Cameron Diaz in a quaint British cottage? Grab your friends, get some snacks, and snuggle up under a heated blanket for a truly cozy and heartwarming evening. Bonus points if you make hot chocolates with cream and marshmallows for everyone involved.

3. Set up a Secret Santa

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An oldie but a goldie, Secret Santa is well-loved for a reason. Set the budget to £5, pull a name, and enjoy looking around for fun little gifts for your recipient. Secret Santa was made for the budget: everyone receives a gift, everyone shops a gift and you get a fun little group exchange to laugh about what everyone picked.

4. Walk and admire the Exeter Christmas lights

Walking and admiring the Christmas Lights is a quintessential festive experience, and the Exeter Christmas lights are definitely worth the trip this year. If you’re feeling the cold Winter blues, lights are a proven serotonin boost. Located on the High Street, in Princesshay and Northernhay, take a wander and see how many you can find!

5. Northernhay’s Winter Wonderland

Exeter’s Winter Wonderland is a can’t-miss this Christmas. Located in the Northernhay Gardens, Winter Wonderland is home to Santa’s Grotto, ice skating, funfairs, rides, and festive food stalls. It’s free entry, so why not grab your most uncoordinated friends and laugh as you watch them flail on the ice rink?

6. Bake Christmas cookies

If you want your kitchen to smell like a fresh bakery, why not try baking some Christmas cookies or gingerbread? Split the ingredient costs with your housemates and get cracking some eggs. If you’re not a baker, hope and pray for a Christmas cookie miracle. And if you’re really not a baker, take a trip to Aldi, split the cost of a build-your-own gingerbread house, and put your decorative side to good use.

7. Festiv-fy your house

Nothing feels more merry than Christmas decorations. Put a night in the calendar to transform your student house into a mini Santa’s grotto. YouTube DIY Christmas decorations, put on Michael Buble’s Christmas album, and channel your inner elf until it looks like Christmas has thrown up all over your kitchen.

8. Christmas mug competition

Head to Princesshay’s Flying Tiger and check out their Christmas range. In it, they have £6 paint-your-own mugs with paints included. Organise a cute evening where you and some friends all grab a mug and see who comes up with the best Christmas-themed design! After you’re all done, you just bake your mugs in the oven to cement the designs and then you have your own fully customised and unique mugs with a fun and festive memory attached.

9. Cultivate your perfect playlist

What is Christmas without the same iconic 10 songs playing over and over until you’re practically fed up with them? This Christmas, take the time to craft your perfect festive playlist that matches your vibe, with all your favourite tunes. This will be the soundtrack to every merry event and evening of the advent countdown, so make it upbeat!

10. Host your own Friendsmas

Finally, and maybe saving the best until last, but host your own Christmas dinner! Grab your housemates and your friends and cook up and eat your own festive feast with your newly created Xmas playlist popping out tunes in the background. Get cheap crackers from B&M and tuck into a home-cooked roast with yorkies and cheap Tesco gravy. It may not be the quality of your mum’s back home, but there’s something about tucking into food with a paper crown on your head that just screams Christmas spirit.