When you are tired of Christmas advertising, you are tired of life. Or so the festive cliche could go. The Christmas advertising season is the UK’s equivalent of the Super Bowl; not just because of the annual complaints that the advertising kicks off too soon; but because the industry punctures popular consciousness. When national media debates which advert has ‘won’ Christmas; it’s a victory for the industry as a whole. A reminder of advertising’s role in creating culture and driving sales in the key festive period.

In the wake of the collective grief of the pandemic in which families were separated and the weight of the collective and individual grief heavy, this Christmas feels particularly precious. Therefore it is perhaps unsurprising that togetherness topped the agenda. As Jules Chalkley, Chief Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy UK, explains: "The brands that will win Christmas this year will be the ones that not only help us actually navigate the costs, stress and uncertainty in the run-up to the festive period but help us bring tangible cheer and optimism into our own homes."  

If you made a Christmas ad this year; thank you. We love them all. As a sprinkle of festive cheer and gratitude here is a roundup of some of the best around.

John Lewis: ‘For a Christmas as magical as your first’ There is a reason that the John Lewis Christmas ad is the highlight of the advertising year and adam&eveDDB delivered again. The heartfelt spot celebrates the joy of togetherness and mince-pie eating. Two essential ingredients of a great Christmas. 

Boots: Here comes the joy After the collective grief of the Coronavirus pandemic you don’t need a trend forecaster to tell you that joy is set to be a big theme this festive season. This beautiful campaign from VMLY&R delivers bags of it. 

Argos: Baubles to Last Year, Christmas is On!

An ode to Christmas enthusiasts from Argos and The&Partnership successfully takes its creative fuel from the cancellations and crushed Christmas expectations of 2020. 

M&S: Percy Pig and Dawn French drive festive campaign

M&S and Grey London breathe life into the iconic Percy Pig with a playful campaign underlining the magic of Christmas.

McDonald’s: Celebrating the magic of imagination

For its fifth anniversary of #ReindeerReady, Leo Burnett and McDonald’s remind audiences they’re never too old to imagine in a heartwarming Christmas campaign

Peloton: When Your Workout Is a Joy, It's a Joy to Work Out

Peloton and adam&eveDDB rework Dickens' Christmas Carol to promote the joy of working out.

Aldi: Meet Ebanana Scrooge

Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot returns for his sixth Christmas adventure created by McCann Manchester, alongside Ebanana Scrooge and a host of new fruit and vegetable themed characters.

Matalan: Celebrates magical moments

McCann Manchester’s new Christmas campaign for Matalan is all about those magical little moments that make Christmas, Christmas.

Homebase: turns to DIY for festive campaign

Homebase’s festive campaign ‘It’s Showtime’, created by Atomic shows Homebase has everything you need to pull out all the stops this Christmas. 

Morrisons: meet Farmer Christmas

Morrisons is introducing Farmer Christmas to the nation with this year’s Christmas ad, created by Publicis Poke. The spot,  which follows two young friends discovering the other hero of Christmas. Farmer Christmas works “all year too” in order to deliver a delicious Christmas feast to tables all over the country.

Smyths Toys: capitalises on the joy of travel

Fire-up your jetpack, it’s finally time to travel. After two years of little to no travel, McCann Manchester has created an adventure with Oscar in its new Smyths Toys Christmas advert. Watch as with a little magic, Oscar brings toys to life, helping even the dullest of grown-ups have some fun.

Coca-cola: Real Magic, Chimney 

Coca-cola and DentsuMB celebrate the power of community in a heartwarming slot that showcases what can be achieved together at Christmas.

Shelter: The Good Fire

For all the joys of Christmas, winter can be a tough time for many. Above+Beyond capitalise on the online phenomenon of the virtual fireplace for Shelter to provide a simple way of giving back to others this Christmas. 

Waitrose: You Can Taste When It’s a Waitrose Christmas 

Waitrose reminds audiences that the food is the best part of Christmas in its new Festive campaign from adam&eveDDB.

Amazon: Kindness, the greatest gift

Amazon and Lucky Generals tell the story of a woman struggling to return to normal life post-pandemic and highlight the importance of kindness. The film is complete with a brand new soulful track from Adele.

JD Sport: JD Street

It may make some feel old, but JD Sport’s festive ad is littered with a star-studded lineup of youth culture icons. JD and Cake take audiences on a Christmassy tour around the fictional JD Street.

Asda: Asda On Ice

Set to the ice skating classic, Boléro, Asda and Havas’ skating spectacular celebrates the little moments that make the Christmas season special.