The Christmas season is officially here, which means two things: Forum Hill is now a wind tunnel of pain, and you’ve definitely earned an evening of pretending deadlines don’t exist.
But with so many films to pick from, what should you watch? Easy – just let your degree choose for you. Whether you’re buried under cases, coursework, or your own questionable life decisions, there’s a Christmas movie that captures your exact academic energy (for better or for worse).
Law – The Polar Express
A classic, but also deeply unsettling; much like the degree itself, actually.
The uncanny, soulless animation reflects the dead-eyed stare of law students during exam season – present, upright, technically alive, but spiritually on the next train home.
Geography – Home Alone
Geography is one of those subjects everyone did in primary school, but somehow you stuck with it and turned it into a degree – so naturally, Home Alone is your movie.
You assure you ‘could survive being left alone for a week’ and honestly? You probably could. Between your map skills, your ‘I went hiking once’ confidence, and your ability to identify glacial features at parties, Kevin McCallister is basically your king.
Politics – Love Actually
Let’s be honest: Hugh Grant dancing around Downing Street chemically altered your brain at age 13, and that’s why you chose Politics.
The film’s 47 overlapping storylines also mirror your degree perfectly: Chaotic, romanticised, and filled with people making wildly unrealistic decisions.
Psychology – Last Christmas
Cute, festive, but slightly emotionally devastating – your whole brand.
You can’t watch Emma Thompson for ten minutes without diagnosing three attachment styles and a maladaptive coping mechanism. This movie gives you endless material to psychoanalyse, and you love it.
Econ – The Nightmare Before Christmas
This degree is a hellscape of graphs, incentives, and ‘why is this module compulsory?’
The film’s entire plot hinges on catastrophic economic decision-making, which resonates deeply. Jack Skellington trying to run Christmas with zero understanding of supply, demand, or basic logic? An Econ group project.
English – A Christmas Carol
Of course, English students get a Dickens adaptation.
You’ve read it, analysed it, over-analysed it, and will confidently point out every difference between the book and the film to anyone within a two-metre radius. This is your time to shine – a seasonal flex.
Sports Science – The Holiday
You’re probably from Surrey or somewhere within striking distance of a Waitrose.
You insist the cosy cottage from the film looks exactly like your hometown (it doesn’t, but nobody else has been, so you get away with it). Still, it fits – wholesome, romantic, and full of people going on long walks
Biology – Elf
After months of labs, dissections, and lectures that start at 8:30am for no good reason, you deserve joy.
Elf is pure serotonin – a break from the relentless STEM grind. Buddy the Elf embodies the chaotic optimism you need to survive another term of practical’s.
