From Icelandic trolls to explosive turkeys, our team’s festive traditions span cultures and continents. As the festive season approaches, we asked members of the Student Leadership Team to share the unique rituals, heartwarming, hilarious, and occasionally hazardous, that make this time of year special for them and their families. Here’s how we celebrate.
Let’s face it – when you think of cancer treatment, you most likely imagine long hours hooked to an IV drip, surrounded by beeping machines and sterile hospital smells. But what if your local hospital told you that, for thousands of cancer patients, this tedious experience is about to be turbo-charged into a quick 5 minute jab?
Christmas Cartoon by UP Artistic Director, Erica Polley.
‘The Polar Express’ is undoubtedly an absolute classic Christmas movie, and anyone who hasn’t seen it at least 5 times in your life… what are you waiting for? Sure, the animations are ever so slightly unsettling, and the large amount of characters voiced/played by Tom Hanks is unusual to say the least (the conductor, the ghost, Santa Claus, the father, the list goes on), but it is most certainly my go-to Christmas film, and I’m not ashamed to say I’ve already watched it at least three times this winter. However, viewing it with a more mature perspective in recent years, I’ve noticed several motifs and deeper meanings that I hadn’t picked up on as a young child, realising the philosophical thoughts concealed behind the film’s children-targeted, festive exterior.
As he crossed the finish line on 7th December, 2025, Lando Norris secured McLaren’s first World Driver’s Championship since 2008. This wrapped up a nail-biting season, which stayed tense until the final lap. Let’s dive, or perhaps drive, right in.
