6 Books to Get Students in the Mood for Christmas

Are you struggling to get into the Christmas spirit this year? Or perhaps you’ve you’ve been counting down to Christmas since the first of September… Either way, get yourself in the mood for Christmas with these festive reads.

By the time you have finished reading these six Christmas books, you’ll be decking the halls with boughs of holly and rockin’ around the Christmas tree…

1. ‘Twas the Nightshift before Christmas by Adam Kay

Subject: Medicine

Adam Kay is back at it again, with his brand-new book ‘Twas the Nightshift before Christmas’. After the success of his first book, ‘This is Going to Hurt’, Kay has given us the gift of his festive hospital diaries while working as a junior doctor, taking us through the festive seasons of 2004 to 2009. Kay’s second book is, as one reviewer on Goodreads puts it, ‘just as funny, if not funnier, than his previous bestselling memoir’, with another describing it as ‘raunchy, morbid and laugh out loud funny’. The perfect Christmas present for any medicine student in your life.

Click here to see more books for medicine students. 

2. Silent Night: The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub

Subject: History

On Christmas Eve in 1914, amongst the mud, rain and killing in the trenches of The Great War, there appeared a line of lights along the German trenches – candles on Christmas trees. This gesture of peace was met by the sound of Christmas carols sung by British, French, Belgian and German troops. By Christmas Day, soldiers on both sides were in no man’s land burying the dead, exchanging gifts and even playing a game of football.

This wartime truce is a heartwarming true story of a moment of humanity, and a glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak existence. Anyone with an interest in wartime history will enjoy this book.

Click here to find out which seven books you should read if you’re a history student.

3. Mary Berry’s Christmas Collection by Mary Berry

Subject: Food Science

If you’re looking for a good cookbook this Christmas, you’ve come to the right place. The queen of cooking, Mary Berry’s cookbook features more than 100 recipes and is perfect for a bit of festive cooking around the Christmas holidays. Berry features a mix of traditional classic Christmas recipes, as well as a variety of new recipes (handy hint: if you give this as a present to a food student, they might cook something from it for you).

4. The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren

Originally published in 1943 as a small pamphlet that was sent out with the Van Doren Stern’s Christmas card, this novella is more widely known as the basis for the beloved 1947 film It’s a Wonderful Life, telling the story of George Pratt, a man contemplating suicide who receives an opportunity to see what the world would’ve been like if he’d never existed. So why is this a good gift for sociology students? Sociologists study the patterns of social relationships, social interaction and society, and this heartwarming Christmas story explores George’s relationships with his friends and family, and the vast impact that he has had on all of their lives.   

5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Subject: English Language and Literature

No Christmas list would be complete without Charles Dickens’ Christmas masterpiece, ‘A Christmas Carol’. Most people know the story of ‘A Christmas Carol’ whether it’s from the Muppet TV adaptation, to a theatre performance, to a Disney animated musical, but few have read the original book. What you may not know is that the phrase “Merry Christmas” only became popular following the release of this book. If you’re looking to get into the festive spirit, try out this novella, and get drawn into Dickens’ world, through vivid descriptions and lovable (and not so lovable) characters.

6. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

This beloved children’s fantasy novel is definitely worth a reread this Christmas. C.S Lewis’ enchanting world is one where a witch rules over a snowy land, where animals talk, where there are battles between good and evil (and if you enjoy it, there are seven other books in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ series to read).

However, what you may not know is that C.S Lewis’s novel is an allegory about the Christian faith, and a biblical portrait of Christ is represented in the character of Aslan, and the children’s relationship with their spirituality is explored throughout the series. Ultimately, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ is a retelling of the gospel in a way that is accessible to students and adults alike, so why not try reading it again from the perspective of an adult?

Image credit: Goodreads