Lights are up in Bournemouth, trees festoon every store, Starbucks is stocking Eggnog Lattes…yes, Christmas is just over a week away!

Naturally, there have been plenty of things to do around Bournemouth Uni at this time – earlier this month, SUBU arranged the Christmas Fair; with confectionery, clothes shopping and fresh cupcakes, it was a time for buying some ideal gifts (or making them from scratch)…or even taking a festive break from studies!

Decorating a tree (much like this one in SUBU) is always a good way to symbolise that the festive season is here – you need not even break the budget for this glamour; plenty of charity shops will have some lovely decorations at cheap prices – so feel free to make the tree of your dreams!!

For some Christmas may be a time of looking back at the past three months of Uni life and thinking, “Wow, what a blast!” or sometimes “I don’t remember anything – it was such a blur!”

Some students may feel a bit homesick – after all, for First Years this may be the first time celebrating Christmas away from home. Thankfully, SUBU Advice can help you – simply pop in, arrange an appointment and talk through your worries.

There’s also plenty of Christmas items available in the Student Shop – Advent Calendars, special festive Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and if you fancy going to town, they even have Santa suits available! Or, for the more traditional, you can get Christmas cards and write them to flatmates, lecturers, old friends…the list goes on!

For a student, Christmas can be both joyous and a bit stressful – of course, it’s easy to get swept up in the festivities but once 2019 is over exams start looming and the ante is well and truly upped – the best bet is to juggle revision, work and fun – after all, it IS Christmas, and one does need to slow down and be merry!