The very best of the 2025 Xmas commercials.
As I’ve enjoyed doing every holiday season since 2012, this year again I’m watching ALL the Christmas ads released globally and I’m curating a list of those that have made the strongest impression. My top picks that you will find below are chosen for their creativity, originality, cleverness, craftsmanship, and/or emotional resonance. To me, a great Holidays ad must above all tell a story that touches our hearts.
This season, I’ve watched 207 Christmas commercials from a wide variety of brands and countries. You can catch them all on my YouTube playlist linked at the bottom of this article. Want to take a trip down memory lane? Check out my selections from previous years over here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020… And even older.
Emerging Trends in Christmas Advertising 2025
Every year brings its own festive flavor, and 2025 is no exception. While the themes of love, family, and generosity remain timeless, a few creative patterns stood out across all the Holidays commercials I watched this season.
- Familiar faces return (and multiply). Advertisers know that fictional characters are the ultimate emotional hook — and this year’s cast proves it. From the ever-charming Kevin the Carrot (Aldi) to the whimsical BFG “Big Friendly Giant” (Sainsbury’s) twist, and from the Grinch (Asda) to Wallace & Gromit (Barbour) or the cute teddy bears (Heathrow airport), brands are building universes around their beloved Xmas mascots.
- The Christmas rush starts earlier than ever. It had to happen: in 2025, some brands dropped their Christmas ads before Halloween. The holiday marketing “arms race” keeps creeping earlier each year — proof that Christmas has officially swallowed autumn whole.
- Recycling nostalgia — literally. A few brands chose the “if it ain’t broke” route: Amazon, TK Maxx and Vodafone for instance are rerunning their exact same Christmas ads from last year. It’s a smart, low-risk choice — people loved them the first time, after all — but while the familiarity works it also feels like a creative shortcut. You can’t keep pressing replay every Christmas.
- Music as a time machine. Beyond the expected Christmas classics, this year’s soundtracks tap deep into emotional memory. LEGO’s use of “Hello (Is It Me You’re Looking For)”, Google’s “Lovely Day”, and Shelter’s haunting “Total Eclipse of the Heart (Turn Around)” all show how the right song can transport viewers instantly. Even John Lewis & Partners’ 1990 vintage track “Where Love Lives” proves how integral music has become to holiday storytelling.
- Not so much AI. Among the 170+ brands that released a Christmas ad this year, only Coca-Cola, Google, and McDonald’s used AI to create theirs. It’s a surprising finding, given how much emphasis our industry places on artificial intelligence. Coke’s commercial received mixed reactions online, while McDonald’s ad faced backlash, prompting the brand to remove it altogether. It seems AI hasn’t quite transformed the Christmas advertising game. At least, not yet.
My 2025 Favourites
Among them all, these 21 truly stood out to me: Asda, Barbour, BMW, Brach’s, Coca-Cola, Disney, Erste Group, Google, Home Instead, IKEA, Intermarché, JC Penney, JD Sports, John Lewis & Partners, LEGO, NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), Ocean Spray, Shelter, Tesco, Uber and Waitrose. Watch them all below — and let me know your thoughts and favourites in the comments!
Asda – “A Very Merry Grinchmas”
Asda recruits the iconic green grouch The Grinch to reflect real-world festive pressure: the cost of Christmas. In the 90-second spot he’s grumbling about “frightful prices”, then enters the store glowing with Asda’s signature green light and discovers value deals that transform his mood. The choice of the Grinch taps nostalgia and instantly primes the viewer for a “bad-to-good” arc. It also balances festive spectacle with a real consumer insight: joy is important, but cost matters. Creative Agency: Lucky Generals, London.
Barbour – “We’ve Got Christmas Covered”
Barbour teams up again with the beloved stop-motion duo Wallace & Gromit in a charming animated film. This time Wallace unveils his “Gift-o-matic” machine, wrapped in Barbour’s Winterberry tartan, as the pair exchange matching scarves, delivering a warm story of gifts, craft and British heritage. The pairing of a heritage clothing brand with iconic characters amplifies warmth, craftsmanship and tradition. The campaign also extends into product, through a limited edition Re-Loved jackets with proceeds to charity — so it’s not just film, it’s activation. Production Company: Aardman Animations, Bristol.
BMW – “The Holidays Can Be Chaotic”
BMW’s 2025 Holiday ad cleverly flips the usual festive vibe by zeroing in on the quiet chaos that happens when someone in every family hosts Christmas — the dinner, the decorations, the arriving guests. What makes it smart is that it taps a universal insight — behind the festivities there’s pressure. Creative Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco.
Brach’s – “Decorations You Can’t Not Eat”
In the 2025 holiday spot, Brach’s redefines the idea of Christmas tree décor by turning candy canes into cheeky characters that invite you to steal from the tree — a playful twist on the tempting treats that hang everywhere this season. The tagline “Decorations You Can’t Not Eat” captures a clever insight: while we hang ornaments, there’s always temptation in plain sight, and Brach’s leans into that sweet-mischief moment rather than the usual heart-warming sentiment. Creative Agency: Momentum Worldwide, New York.
Coca-Cola – “Holidays Are Coming”
This year again, Coca-Cola revisits its iconic red-truck caravan story with a full generative-AI makeover: animals, snow-covered landscapes and a nod to tradition, yet fully embracing the technological edge. The brand is trying to marry its nostalgic festive tone with “next-gen creative and technical precision”. While it’s undeniably ambitious and pushes boundaries of production, questions remain whether the emotional warmth that once anchored Coke’s holiday ads still hits the same. Creative and Production Agencies: Secret Level and Silverside AI, San Francisco.
Disney – “Best Christmas Ever”
In this 2025 holiday short, Disney centres the story on a young girl whose doodle springs to life after Santa mistakes her drawing for a Christmas wish. As the duo navigate everyday moments, and eventually the big Christmas reveal, the film underscores friendship, imagination and the power of making someone’s holiday magical. What stands out is how the ad uses a whimsical, child-centred insight, rather than the usual cookie-cutter festive tropes of family dinners and snow-covered homes. Creative Agency: adam&eveDDB, London.
Erste Group – “Carry The Light”
Erste Group’s 2025 Christmas film reimagines Mary and Joseph’s travel to Bethlehem through the eyes of a small, overlooked donkey who becomes an unexpected bearer of hope. With actors speaking original Aramaic, handcrafted costumes and striking landscapes, the film transforms a familiar biblical moment into a gentle parable about resilience, compassion and the quiet strength we often miss. It’s a poetic extension of the banking group’s ‘Believe In Yourself’ brand platform, reminding viewers that even the smallest light can make a difference. Creative agency: Jung von Matt DONAU, Vienna.
Google – “Planning a Quick Getaway?”
Google uses its festive film to spotlight its AI-powered “AI Mode in Search” by following a plush toy turkey who escapes Thanksgiving chaos, via Google’s search tool. The ad stands out because it taps into the travel stress and spontaneity of the season, with AI technology offering relief. The brand isn’t selling a gadget or a car; it’s selling the promise of simplicity in a hectic season. Creative Agency: Google Creative Lab, Mountain View.
Home Instead – “Home But Not Alone”
In the 2025 holiday campaign, Home Instead revisits the beloved Home Alone legacy by bringing back Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister — only now Kevin’s trying to keep his aging mom safe rather than defend the house. The film uses humor but also a real insight: someone in every family will eventually face the challenge of caring for elderly parents, and sometimes the hardest step is the conversation. By leaning into nostalgia while tackling an emotionally relevant issue, the ad feels both familiar and meaningful. Creative Agency: FCB, Chicago.
IKEA – “The Best Gift Is Being Present”
In this festive spot, IKEA shifts the narrative from products to people through a simple yet deeply emotional story: a young boy asks for an iconic BILLY shelf—not purely for the furniture itself, but so he can assemble it with his parents, a gentle metaphor for shared time and connection. Set against the backdrop of holiday rush and distracted households, the film reminds us that the most meaningful gift this season isn’t a thing, but real presence and attention. Creative Agency: McCann, Madrid.
Intermarché – Christmas Tale
By far the most viral and beloved Christmas commercial of 2025, this wonderful, super-cute winter tale from French supermarket Intermarché has moved millions of people worldwide. An animation masterpiece crafted by 60 artists over more than a year (with no AI involved at all), it has now reached 600 million views and delivers a warmly received message about togetherness, especially meaningful at a time when societies feel increasingly divided and individualistic. Creative Agency: Romance. Animation Studio: Illogic Studios.
JC Penney – “It’s What They Thought That Counts”
JCPenney’s 2025 holiday campaign centres on the idea that the magic of gifting isn’t about how much you spend, but how surprised and delighted your loved ones are. The ad spotlights those “You shouldn’t have!” moments at family gatherings: a recipient assumes a premium price tag, only for the giver to reveal they got it at JCPenney. It’s smart because it taps into today’s consumer pressure—wallets stretched, expectations high—and flips it: quality, style and surprise without overspending. Creative Agency: Mischief, New York.
JD Sports – “Where Are You Going?”
This 2025 holiday campaign hands the camera to the next generation: 286 young people across cities like Tokyo, Berlin, London and Naples captured their real lives on mobile phones with no lighting rigs or sets. The result is a raw and unfiltered mosaic of ambition, energy and everyday moments — all stringing back to the question “Where are you going?”. It’s a smart insight for the brand: instead of defining youth culture from above, they let youth define it themselves, reinforcing JD’s “Forever Forward” identity in an authentic way. Creative Agency: Uncommon Creative Studio, London.
John Lewis & Partners – “Where Love Lives”
This highly anticipated 2025 holiday film focuses on a father-son relationship in a fresh, emotionally grounded way: a teenage son gives his dad a vinyl record of the 90s club classic “Where Love Lives” by Alison Limerick, and as the needle drops the father is transported back to his youth, dancing in a rave-era club, before the story returns to a quiet living-room embrace on Christmas Day. It beautifully captures the insight that sometimes you can’t find the words, but you can find the gift, especially at John Lewis & Partners. Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, London.
LEGO – “Is It Play You’re Looking For?”
LEGO’s festive film tells of 12-year-old Eddie who’s disengaged from family fun — but his younger sister uses a mischievous LEGO creature and a choir of minifigures to pull him back into the magic of play. Wrapped in a playful remix of “Hello” from Lionel Richie and built around the insight that in a screen-fuelled world play becomes a rediscovered ritual, the spot reinvents the holiday ad by making the gift the act of playing together rather than the product. Creative Agency (in-house): Our LEGO Agency.
NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) – “Most Dangerous Time”
The campaign takes a bold, unsettling tone by highlighting that for too many children, Christmas is not a season of joy — it’s the most dangerous time of the year. It presents the harsh reality of abuse behind closed doors, especially when schools close and the usual safety nets vanish, delivering a powerful insight: festive togetherness doesn’t always equal safety. By focusing on real risk rather than holiday fantasy, NSPCC shifts the narrative from gift-giving to safeguarding. Creative agency: GOOD Agency, London.
Ocean Spray – “Beware of Cranpus”
Ocean Spray’s 2025 holiday campaign turns cranberry sauce into the star with a mischievous myth-creature called “Cranpus” (played by Bryan Cranston), half-goat, half-bog-dweller, who steals cranberries from festive tables everywhere. The spot uses humour, folklore (a twist on Krampus) and an unexpected tone to position cranberries not as just an afterthought, but as essential to the season’s rituals. It’s bold, funny, and memorable, giving the brand a chance to stand out in a crowded Christmas ad marketplace. Creative agency: Piggyback, Denver.
Shelter – “Total Eclipse of the Heart (Turn Around)”
Shelter’s 2025 holiday short turns the festive soundtrack on its head by using “Total Eclipse of the Heart” as a through-line to tell the story of a boy living in temporary accommodation who belts the chorus in school corridors and lunch halls, only for the reveal to hit at the end. It’s stark but compelling — while Christmas is positioned as warm and protected, for thousands of families in the UK it’s filled with uncertainty, small spaces, mould, no-bed spaces and endless waiting. The choice to go a-cappella and anchor the spot in real lived-experience gives the film its emotional weight. Creative agency: Don’t Panic, London.
Tesco – “That’s What Makes It Christmas”
Tesco’s 2025 festive films deliberately sidestep the picture-perfect holiday scenes and instead zoom in on the everyday, messy, unscripted parts of the season — the burnt loaf, the awkward family moment, the half-open gift… It’s during the messy, weird and unscripted chaos where the Christmas spirit really kicks in. The campaign is smart because it meets consumers where they are — not idealised, but real — and positions Tesco as the brand that understands the truth of holiday life rather than just selling the fantasy. Creative agency: BBH, London.
Uber – “Close, An Uber Holiday Story”
Uber’s first-ever US and Canadian holiday ad trades spectacle for emotional subtlety. The short film follows a young woman on an Uber ride from the airport back to her suburban hometown — a journey that becomes a space for reflection as memories of her father and their strained relationship resurface with every passing street. Set to James Blake’s haunting cover of “Landslide”, the film captures that delicate mix of anticipation, regret and hope that accompanies family reconnection during the holidays. Uber hereby positions itself as a reliable presence in life’s most emotionally loaded transitions, especially in the suburbs where dependable transport matters most. Creative agency: Mother, New York.
Waitrose – “The Perfect Gift”
Waitrose’s 2025 festive film leans into the rom-com tradition with a meet-cute at the deli counter where Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson bond over a shared love of Sussex Charmer cheddar. Their whirlwind romance is woven through food-laden sequences, from cosy walks in the snow to baking a turkey-pie surprise, underlining that food is love and that the best gift is being present in the moment. With warm humour and cinematic scope, the ad positions Waitrose not just as a food retailer but as the orchestrator of memorable festive connections. Creative agency: Wonderhood Studios, London.
Watch ALL the 2025 Christmas commercials
In my YouTube channel’s playlist below I’ve gathered ALL the Xmas ads I’ve found and watched so far. This year the complete collection is made of 207 commercials, from 176 brands: Albert Heijn, Aldi, Alzheimer Nederland, Amazon, American Eagle, Apple, Argos, Arsenal, Asda, Audi, Away, Banana Republic, Barbour, BARK, Bergdorf Goodman, Best Buy, BIG W, BMW, Bol, Bonmarché, Boots, British Garden Centres, Burberry, Burlington, Burnley Football Club, Calvin Klein, Canada Goose, Cartier, Chelsea, Cherry Lane Garden Centres, Chevrolet, Chime, Coca-Cola, Cointreau, Crayola, Debenhams, De Bijenkorf, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Disney, Disney+, Dobbies Garden Centres, Dogs Trust, Dunkin, Easons, EE, END., Erste, Etsy, Facebook, Fairway Energy, Famous Footwear, Fashionphile, FatFace, Ferrero Rocher, Ford, Fortnum and Mason, FIGS Scrubs, Gall & Gall, Gap, Golden Corral, Good Housekeeping UK, Google, Grand Frais, Heathrow, H-E-B, Heinz, HEMA, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, Home Instead, Hoosier Lottery, IKEA, Instacart, Intermarché, Intertoys, Irish National Lottery, JC Penney, JD Sports, John Lewis & Partners, Jollibee, Jumbo, KFC, Kohl’s, KPN, Krasloten, Kruidvat, Lancôme, LEGO, Lexus, LIDL, Lincoln, Lindt, Liverpool Football Club, L.L.Bean, Loganair, Lowe’s, M&S, Macy’s, Makro, Marias, Matalan, Meals On Wheels, Moncler, Morrisons, Mugler, New York Lottery, NEXT, Nordstrom, NSPCC, O2, Ocean Spray, Orange, Patreon, Peacocks, Peta, PetSmart, Pet Supplies Plus, Planters, PostNL, Publix, Purdy & Figg, Rakuten, Real Canadian Superstore, Roots, Sainsbury’s, Saks Off 5th, Sam’s Club, Samsung, San Pellegrino, Saucony, schuh, Selfridges, Sephora, Shelter, Shoprite, SickKids Foundation, SKWOL, Smyths Toys, Starbucks, Strathberry, Sports Direct, Staatsloterij, Suchard, Target, Teleflora, Telstra, Tesco, T-Mobile, The National Lottery, The Peninsula Hotels, The Perfume Shop, The Trafford Centre, Tiffany & Co., TK Maxx, Treasure Tress, True Religion, TSC, Uber, Ulta Beauty, UPS, Verizon, Very, Vodafone, Walgreens, Walmart, Westfield, Whisker, Wildes Inns, Wonderbox, Woolworths, Yahoo Mail, YETI, Yo Sushi.
