Here’s how to regain the magic of a childhood Christmas as a Warwick student

For many Warwick students, Christmas can be an adjustment. Living away from home, moving away from parents and missing family traditions can all shift a university student’s Christmas experience.

The Christmas you experience as a university student is always going to be a change from the past. You may be an overwhelmed fresher, who for the first time feels responsible for creating the Christmas spirit in your own life. You may be a burnt out third year (like me), who can’t think about festive cheer without instinctively stressing about tests or word counts that have to be dealt with. It’s hard when this time of year seems to lose its sparkle, triggering a fear that Christmas itself is forever changed by age.

I’m here to tell you that is not the case, the magic just takes a little bit more effort. So, here are my top tips to regain the joy and whimsy this Christmas.

Get crafty

Nothing will remind you of childhood Christmas past more than tapping into your crafty side. Before you protest, I know that everyone has one. It doesn’t matter if your old school arts and crafts looked less like reindeer and more like rabid dogs; if your family is anything like mine, I’m sure they are still on the tree.

Put on a cosy Christmas film and let your inner child out. Whether you choose to make homemade decorations, or have a go at hand-making gifts for loved ones this holiday season, tap into something fun and low pressure that lets you feel in touch with yourself in a free and easy way. Give yourself permission to be bad at it, and enjoy the process of making, not the finished product.

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If you’re really stuck, I’d recommend buying a little craft set, that way you don’t need to spend loads on supplies for a good, finished product.

Social media detox

I beg you, don’t use TikTok or Pinterest as means of getting wish list ideas or cultivating the perfect Christmas aesthetic. While a “Ralph Lauren Christmas” may be trending (whatever that is), I guarantee nothing is going to drain your Christmas spirit more than comparing your own decorations with whatever future landfill influencers are pushing this holidays season. As a certified Pinterest girlie, I absolutely love making a Christmas board with inspiration or aesthetic photos of candy canes, trees and lights. But it shouldn’t influence how you see your own festivities. While Christmas is a very visual holiday, nothing will drain your magic and whimsy more than feeling like your Christmas isn’t “aesthetic enough”.

For wish list inspiration, which can be really hard, I recommend asking the people around you the things they want and need this year. Most online wishlist inspo has Amazon or TikTok shop links already built in, and aren’t concerned with giving viewers actual ideas.

Work together!

Consciously schedule time for Christmas joy. Winter months as a university student can be brutal, and mostly quite lonely. I know I, like many people on my course, tend to self-isolate when essays are upcoming, and while it works for me, it makes for some non-festive feelings. That’s why it’s so important to consciously make time and effort for some Christmas fun, however you usually find it best to get into the Christmas spirit through films, music, etc. Importantly, working with others to create Christmas joy is the easiest and most effective way to rekindle the magic of the festive season (there’s a reason that the power of friendship is a cornerstone of almost every holiday film). Nostalgia and whimsy is contagious, and social Christmas activities are more likely to get you in the spirit than doing it alone.

Make the magic for other people

The easiest way to regain some childhood magic is through working to continue the magic for the younger people in your life. Speaking to you as the baby of both sides of the family, I understand better than anyone that this is easier said than done. For those of you with younger siblings (especially ones at an age where Santa’s reality is an unshakable truth), throw yourself into finding new ways of giving them the magic that you used to feel.

For those of us who don’t have younger family members to create magic for, believe me there are other ways of selflessly making magic; the best way is by giving back to the local community.

Dunelm, for example, are running a Delivering Joy campaign, where (similar to an American angel tree), you select a tag and buy presents for a stranger. your given an age range, their gender and a few ideas, but ultimately you choose and donate presents.

Selflessness and kindness are cornerstones of the holiday for a reason, and nothing will get you more in the spirit than by doing a few little acts of generosity.

Do something new

As much as Christmas is steeped in traditions, they can only take you so far. In some ways, Christmas when you were younger was new and exciting precisely because you were still doing new and exciting things. Injecting some newness in activities over December is a great way to reinvigorate your overall Christmas. Explore a new place during the festive months, whether it be a new city or a new area of your own hometown. Go watch new shows, or try new festive activities on offer in your local area. Traditions are made by trying new things and seeing what sparks joy. A personal favourite is when, on one December 23rd with nothing else to do, I spent the entire evening walking around my neighbourhood looking at the Christmas lights with festive music blaring in my air pods. Would 100% recommend.

Embrace the differences

The hardest, but best way to regain some nostalgic Christmas magic is by recognising the differences. If you’re continually chasing perfection, or a complete recapture of Christmases past, you’re only ever going to be disappointed. Recognise the differences and changes in circumstances, whether that be age, a change of mentality, shifting family dynamics. Only after you take a moment to understand the changes can you work to recapture little sparks of joy and nostalgia, to build a new Christmas built not only on the past, but the present and future.