Much to the majority of Georgetown’s delight, the holiday season has finally arrived. With the winter holidays just around the corner, the only thing saving us from descending into the depths of finals despair is the thought of celebrating the season with our family and friends. While we must wait until after our exams are over to enjoy the holidays with our families, we begin to get into the spirit here by listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, decorating our residences and making delicious treats with our closest friends.
Personally, I feel that I can enjoy holiday cooking and decorating most when they are kept short and simple. Though I love the look of a fully lit and ornamented Christmas tree and the aroma of freshly baked gingerbread, I know that I don’t have enough patience, with all the studying ahead of me, to acquire and assemble all the materials I would need. For those of you who want to express your holiday cheer but don’t have the time to go all out, here are a few easy ideas.

PAPER SNOWFLAKES
If you’ve ever seen the movie Elf, you’ll know how awesome Buddy the Elf is at decorating. After all, he can draw the “Mona Lisa” onto an Etch-a-Sketch. However, not of all of us — myself included — can be that inventive during finals season. These paper snowflakes are great for those of us with no artistic ability because they require little effort yet still result in unique creations that will look lovely hung in your dorm or apartment.

Paper (8 1/2-by-11 inches)
A pair of scissors
A pencil

Fold a corner of the paper down and cut off the bottom portion (where the crease is) with scissors to make a large triangle.
Bring the corners of the triangle’s base together briefly to find the center point of the longest side. Make another small crease at that point.

Fold in the right corner of the base at a 60-degree angle, then fold the left corner in the opposite direction at a 60-degree angle.
Fold this new figure in half and cut off the uneven parts of the base.
Draw a design with the pencil along the sides of this new triangle, and cut away the shapes.
Unfold the snowflake and flatten it out on a smooth surface.

(If you make a bunch, connect them with a piece of yarn to make a string of snowflakes!)
HOLLY COOKIES
My aunt makes these cookies, along with those of the sugar and gingerbread varieties, every year for the holidays. They are absolutely my favorite holiday treats because they not only look like holly leaves — I’ve also seen them in the shape of wreaths — but also taste delicious. If you want proof of how yummy they are, Santa, who is arguably the ultimate connoisseur of cookies — sorry, Cookie Monster — once left me a note on Christmas morning asking me for the recipe. Put a few in a tin to make a wonderfully festive gift for your friends, or you could just put them on a plate and enjoy them yourself with hot cocoa or a tall glass of milk.

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of green food coloring
1 stick of butter
1 bag of small marshmallows (about 10 ounces)
4 cups of corn flakes
1 container of red cinnamon candies
Wax paper, cut into square or rectangular pieces
Pam (or any nonstick spray)

Combine the marshmallows and butter in a large bowl and melt in the microwave for two to four minutes.
Stir this mixture for about a minute to get rid of any air bubbles.
Add the vanilla extract and green food coloring to the mixture and stir for another minute.
Stir in the corn flakes while the marshmallow mixture is still hot, and then allow it to cool for one to two minutes.
Spray the wax paper pieces with a thin coat of Pam.
Scoop dollops of batter onto the wax paper with a spoon. (You may form the batter into wreaths if you like.)
Sprinkle each holly cookie with two or three cinnamon candies.