The festive season is full of much-loved customs from switching on Christmas tree lights to wrapping the presents and holding office parties.
When it comes to that magical time of year, there’s nothing that gets you more in the mood than Christmas ads and we love to see what brands come up with each year.
From the heart-warmers to the tearjerkers and everything in between, this list has it all. To get you into the Christmas spirit, here are our top Christmas ads of all time.
1. The gift of Melody - Memories 2021
“The gift of Melody” is a touching Christmas ad by Memories. It is about Melody and her grandpa, Marlon and shows the special bond they share and their love for the piano. For Christmas this year, Melody gives her grandpa the ultimate gift being a Living Timeline of his life as a successful singer and pianist as well as a wonderful grandfather.
What makes this Memories Timeline more valuable is the fact that unfortunately, this is the last Christmas they will spend together. Honoring Marlon through the timeline is a beautiful way to celebrate his journey through life. The advert ends with a strong yet meaningful message being “A hero deserves to be remembered, honor yours with an online memorial”.
2. #BagsOfJoy - Boots UK 2021
If you’re after a magical and uplifting festive film celebrating togetherness and nostalgia, take a look at this Boots Christmas advert. Starring BAFTA-nominated actress Jenna Coleman, the ad is directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper and explores the joy of spending Christmas with your loved ones and how important it is.
The ad features a magical bag of joy which represents the thousands of gifts Boots has to offer. We love this ad because it portrays celebrating family and the simple joy of giving mixed with a healthy dose of festive magic and charm. It’s definitely a heart-warming advert.
3. Christmas Bells - Hershey’s Kisses 1989
An oldie but a goodie. Hershey’s Kisses’ Christmas Bells ad has been running for three decades now and is a favourite around the festive season. The sheer simplicity of this commercial shows Christmas-colored foil-wrapped chocolates playing the tune of We Wish You a Merry Christma, and so capitalizing on the chocolate brand’s popularity as a stocking filler.
In 2012, the ad was redone with CGI animation featuring new audio which has helped the brand adapt quite well to the 21st century. Hershey’s even released a social media campaign last year, giving the public the chance to “play the bells” themselves while recording their own melodies using different sound effects. The results were featured on Hershey’s Instagram Stories.
4. Baubles to last year! Christmas is ON - Argos 2021
This ad is one of our favorites and has recently been launched for the festive season. Titled “Baubles to Last Year, Christmas is On!”, the 60-second Argos commercial reveals families celebrating a bigger and better Christmas after last year's disappointing one.
What we love most about this ad is the festive cheer, which highlights how Christmas 2021 is set to be more sentimental than ever before. Argos has done a great job of creating a beautiful ad while encouraging shoppers to have the best Christmas season this year.
5. Paddington, Please Look After This Bear - Barbour 2021
One to bring back memories and tug on your heartstrings. Featuring the original Paddington Bear, the Barbour Christmas ad of 2021 follows Paddington as he prepares Christmas gifts for his family.
In the short film, Paddington is seen pondering a last-minute Christmas gift for his foster father, Mr Brown. Upon looking through old family photos, he realizes that his foster father always wears the same green jacket, so he decides to re-wax the jacket to give it a refresh. A nostalgic yet amusing and sentimental ad, showing how much Barbour jackets are loved and how they become an important part of the family.
6. From Our Family to Yours - Disney Christmas Advert 2020
Disney’s 2020 Christmas ad depicts the story of a grandmother, her granddaughter and the family traditions that connect them through the years. “From Our Family To Yours” holds the same production values as any Pixar movie would and is based on insights from consumers that traditions, family and nostalgia were the most important things to them in the lead up to Christmas.
The main message of this three minute advert is that traditions and togetherness are more crucial than ever after the last few years of living in a pandemic.
7. Christmas is this Very moment - very.co.uk 2021
This clever 60-second ad by Very celebrates all the things we can only get away with around Christmas time.
“Christmas is this Very moment” focuses on a whole lot of guilty pleasures that we enjoy during the festive season, including drinking gin in your PJs while binge-watching television or dressing babies up in Christmas outfits.
The main point of this ad is to enable and empower customers to say “Yes” to all the silly indulgences that make their Christmas so wonderful.
8. Ebanana Scrooge - Aldi 2021
Introducing Ebanana Scrooge! Aldi’s 2021 ad has been released and after five chapters of Kevin the Carrot, Aldi has introduced Ebana Scrooge for its new Christmas ad. A grumpy banana with no festive spirit, he is confronted by Kevin the carrot who shows him the delights of Christmas. Created by McCann UK, this ad is one that will make you appreciate the joys of the festive season and all the customs it brings.
9. Big on a Christmas you can ALWAYS believe in - Lidl GB 2021
Lidl’s 2021 Christmas campaign gives customers a sneak peek at what the retailer thinks a Christmas of the future might look like.
The ad begins with a family enjoying a traditional Christmas lunch with all the trimmings, which highlights Lidl’s delicious festive food range. The ad then presents a futuristic Christmas dinner, with the same family still enjoying Lidl’s festive fare at “Lidl” prices.
Even when “we’re carving turkeys with lasers, we’ll always be Lidl on price,” demonstrates Lidl’s commitment to quality and value no matter what is in store for the future.
10. Real Moments, Real Magic - Matalan 2021
Matalan's festive offering for 2021 is humorous, uplifting and a very relatable ad. It focuses on three people sharing their Christmas celebrations. Each person demonstrates a scenario showcasing the emotional connection many people feel during this season. The ad portrays Matalan's ongoing brand message of “Real Life Ready” while creating a sense of nostalgia and emotion. Definitely one of our top ads.
11. Christmas to the Maxx - TK Maxx 2021
TK Maxx has done it again! This year, the TK Maxx's Christmas ad has been directed by the acclaimed director Raine Allen-Miller.
“Christmas To The Maxx” is a story about an unexpected hero who is getting ready to perform at a Christmas comeback talent concert. The boy gives the performance of a lifetime inspired by a pair of fabulous boots from TK Maxx gifted to him by his proud parents.
It’s a commercial that highlights how different Christmas was in 2020 for many of us, leading to a bigger celebration this year. With an aim to capture the Christmas spirit, this ad shows viewers that a truly thoughtful gift can spark sheer joy for the receiver, their family and friends.