The Holly At the Ivy: Princeton at Its Most Festive

Looking for some holiday cheer to wash the bitter taste of end-of-semester craziness out of your mouth?  Without the weight of classes, tests, and papers, the town of Princeton's a veritable cornucopia of festive cuteness. Here's some ideas to get you started:

1. Bent Spoon's Flavors of the Week include Peppermint Stick and Cinnamon Caramel. Need we say more? Nothing says "goodbye, semester!" better than celebratory ice cream.  (Peppermint paired with the dark chocolate gelato is a particularly fantastic combo).
2. If you're going for pure gluttony, look no further than the hot chocolate from the Lindt Chocolate Store in Palmer Square.  They melt a Lindt truffle in every cup. Don't question it, just go. Now.
3. Check out the insanely adorable Boy Scouts' Christmas Tree sale over in Palmer Square (their lot is right across from the Hulfish Parking Complex).  Way to look like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting, boys. Very impressive.
4. If you're still scrambling for gift ideas, pick up some cheap used-book gems for everyone on your list at Glen Echo Books on Nassau, which we featured during last year's holiday season.  Or check out the table of (relatively) cheap stocking stuffers at Paper Source--because let's face it, who doesn't need a set of self-adhesive mustaches or a talking Sarah Palin keychain?
5. Take a moment (or ten, or twenty) to walk around Palmer Square in the evening before you grab your Dinky out of town. The storefronts are twinkling, the 30-foot tree looks like it's wearing a giant light-covered tea cozy, there are wreaths on every door and displays in every window...and Princeton just might win the cutest town ever award.  Enjoy your breaks, everybody!