With the fall season in full swing, students are embracing the changing weather by cozying up their Oxford living spaces to get into the autumn spirit.
“Fall is my favorite season,” Lillian Prather, a junior accountancy major from Waterloo, Ill., said. “I love all of the different colors, and it just makes me happy.”
Prather uses whimsical decorations and seasonal candles to make her space more inviting and autumn-themed.
“My favorite part is putting my gnomes out,” Prather said. “Just seeing them there sitting around in their little orange hats. I’ve got three or four, just kind of around the living room. I also like having candles around and just smelling like fall.”
Many other students are also going for a cozy feel, working with what limited space they have, such as Cooper Smith, a freshman allied health studies major from Columbia, Miss., who lives in a dorm room on campus.
“My roommate and I have a few pumpkins around,” Smith said. “We have some Halloween lights and some fall colors.”
Erick Godoy, a sophomore allied health studies major from Olive Branch, Miss., picked a similar warm aesthetic when decorating his townhouse, taking full advantage of having plenty of space.
“So, outside we have three hay bales with some pumpkins on them,” Godoy said. “That’s right outside our front door. Inside, we have some porcelain pumpkins and then some festive throw pillows.”
Other students go for a spooky look, preferring a Halloween-esque atmosphere where they live. Alden McDaniel, a senior accountancy major, chose this style for her apartment.
“I have put out little skeletons on the balcony of my porch,” McDaniel said. “I put up a sign as well that says, ‘The witch is in.’ I put some caution tape on the windows and also hung up plastic bats from the balcony.”
Students gathered their decorations from a variety of places, whether that be popular craft stores, farmer’s markets or even things from home.
“(I got my decorations from) Hobby Lobby, Amazon or from home because it’s just stuff my mom had,” Godoy said. “The pumpkins came from a farmer’s market.”
Prather enjoys supporting local stores and taking advantage of discounts when shopping for fall.
“(My decorations are from) kind of all over the place, a few little shops back home,” Prather said. “I mostly try to support (local stores.) Otherwise, I shop at Hobby Lobby if things are on sale. I’m a big fan of discounts.”
Some students feel like decorating for fall brings them more in touch with feelings associated with home and family.
“I think it just brings me a joy,” Smith said. “(It) makes me think about the breaks coming up and being with family.”
