Every year it’s the ad race to who wins Christmas. Brands warm our hearts with lovely storylines and tear-jerking music renditions. Before you know it, you have an orchestra of ads trying to out-Christmas one another. It seems like the more you say it's Christmas, the more you'll spark some Christmas joy and therefore everyone will want to buy from you this Christmas! Did we mention it’s Christmas?

But to us, the best spots don’t waterboard you with cliche sparkle and joy, they forget the stereotypes altogether. Festive ads that are changing up the game are set at Christmas but don’t ultimately bank on it.

Take Waitrose’s murder mystery this year. Yes, it's set at Christmas, during Christmas lunch–but that's it. It’s a cleverly written, star-studded whodunnit. We were on the edge of our seats, ready for more, its idea didn't hinge on Christmas joy. Waitrose created a story set at Christmas, not a Christmas story.

Spanish whiskey brand J&B also went light on Christmas in their 2022 spot. We follow a grandad exploring makeup and seemingly his identity, only to find out he is practicing his skills to do the makeup for his trans granddaughter. This ad could run in April as the family prepares for Easter dinner – we love it! It doesn’t squeeze every drop out of a Christmas cliche, instead, it takes the current topic of identity and spins a narrative around that.

Etsy’s 2024 ‘Where's Waldo’ spot is another one that goes easy on Christmas. We hear a monologue from Waldo about sometimes feeling a little lost in the world. It's very sweet and funny! Ultimately, his loved one gives him an engraved compass from Etsy. There's no mention of Christmas, only the musical vibe. Brilliantly subtle!

It's refreshing to see brands not overload us with typical Christmas scenes and how their products slot in perfectly, because today in Britain, everyone celebrates the holidays differently. We all have our festive traditions, and the word Christmas doesn’t mean the same to one person as it does to another. Christmas is a time when your audience is gathered together, usually around the TV, so let’s entertain them in a way they were least expecting.

How cool would it be to see more stories about pirates, zombies, or aliens, Christmas is the stage to tell a story, not necessarily a Christmas one. Humans have been celebrating it for 2 thousand years, the best gift is something new.