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The Wonderful World of Christmas Ads 2025 - Part Two: The Best of the Rest, the Curious, and the Completely Unhinged


If Part One was the main stage – the emotionally rich, retail-smart winners – then Part Two is where things get interesting.


This is where we shine a festive spotlight on the ads that surprised us, delighted us, confused us, or made us wonder what sort of eggnog the creative teams were drinking.


And before we dive into the questionable… let’s start with something genuinely brilliant.


The Love, Love, LOVE Award: Uber

Clever, modern and utterly in tune with how people actually live and move through the season. Uber continues to reposition itself as an everyday essential, and this year’s Christmas work nails that blend of utility and charm.


No sleigh bells. No flying reindeer. No forced sentimentality.Just a sharply observed reminder that seamless service is a gift.


It’s one of the most contemporary Christmas ads of 2025 – a perfect entry point before we wander into the wilder edges of festive advertising.



BEST OF THE REST

The Ones That Nearly Cracked the Top 10


These ads didn’t make the official winners list, but they delivered enough sparkle to deserve recognition.


Heathrow – The Bears: Must Be Love

An absolute delight. Charming stop-motion craft, a gorgeous soundtrack, and a sneaky masterclass in retail storytelling. The Bears take us on a journey through Heathrow’s customer experience without a single heavy-handed cue.

You learn, you feel, you smile. That’s powerful work.




EE – The Christmas Double

This ad has had its share of “woke” backlash online, which is usually a sign that a brand has dared to reflect the reality of modern households. EE shows a family dynamic that feels honest – messy, imperfect, recognisable.

It’s sharp cultural commentary wrapped in humour and relatability. I rate it.




Bark – Merry Chaos

The first Christmas commercial in history directed by a dog with a GoPro.

It’s chaotic, wonderful and wildly different from anything else this season. In a landscape often filled with polished sameness, Bark breaks the pattern in the best way.




Migros – Heartstring Special Mention

Given my well-documented aversion to animated Christmas ads, the fact that Migros made it onto this list is a Christmas miracle. It’s tender without being saccharine, magical without being overwrought. A warm, unexpected moment of sincerity. Animation done right.




THE BRISTLE LIST - This Christmas Grinch says "Not For Me"

These ads aren’t failures. They just didn’t land for me, either tonally or emotionally.

And as any good retailer knows – resonance is everything.


Amazon

I love Benedict Cumberbatch, but I just don't find it funny. At all. Or engaging.



Sainsbury’s – BFG

It’s charming and beautifully executed. But a bit too whimsical, too fantastical. It feels like bedtime story energy when the season needed something a little more grounded.




Barbour – Wallace & Gromit

Iconic duo, lovely nostalgia… but safe. Predictable. It doesn’t push the brand anywhere new, and in a year where many nailed emotional nuance, this one feels thin.


M&S – The Fairy

Dawn French is always a delight, but this year’s fairy feels like she’s been on the espresso martinis. Fun, yes. Festive, yes. A touch too frantic for the emotional resonance Christmas ads usually rely on.






WTF? “What on Earth Just Happened?” Collection


Every Christmas brings us at least one fever dream. This year, we were spoiled.


Apple – A Critter Carole

Technically stunning. Emotionally baffling.

Shot on an iPhone 17 Pro, meticulously crafted puppets, beautiful practical effects – and still deeply cringe. It feels like a product demo wearing a tinsel wig.



END. – The Fever Dream

This one defies logic. It feels like the world’s most chaotic creative brainstorm accidentally made it through approvals.

Wild.

Unhinged.

Weirdly memorable.

Not in a good way.




Debenhams – All Star Cast Parade

More celebrities than sense. More glitter than meaning. A big-budget parade of chaos that somehow manages to say absolutely nothing.

An expensive reminder that star power is not a strategy.



Coca-Cola – AI Christmas

Oh dear. If AI could feel emotion, this might have been charming. Instead we get uncanny animals staring into the abyss and a Santa who looks like he escaped from a machine-learning lab. Why are there sloths in the trees?


It’s the wrong use of the right technology.“Slop,” as the internet kindly put it.



WHY SOME ADS SOAR AND OTHERS CRASH-LAND


A little theory to tie it all together.


Ritual Matters

  • We expect Christmas ads to “feel” a certain way. Break that emotional contract at your own risk.


Story First, Product Second

  • The best ads invite audiences into the story. They don’t lecture, posture or push.


Familiar Archetypes Work

  • Parents, pets, kids, grandparents, odd neighbours – universality builds attachment.


The Zeitgeist Rules All

  • The zeitgeist is the mood and mindset of the moment.

  • The best Christmas ads tap into what people are feeling, talking about and hoping for, instead of shouting over it.


The Happy Ending Contract

  • We are primed for resolution, comfort and connection. If an ad ends weird, cold or unresolved, people revolt.

That’s a Wrap

We’ve celebrated the delights, applauded the surprises and gently (lovingly) questioned the creative judgement of a few.


Christmas ads remain one of retail’s most fascinating seasonal barometers – part cultural snapshot, part emotional temperature check, part spectacle.


And while the craft continues to evolve, one truth remains: when a Christmas ad lands, it lands hard.


Until next year – when I’m sure we’ll do this all over again. 🎁

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