Our Favourite Christmas Adverts of All Time!

IT’S CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAS…!

There are so many things to love about Christmas: food, music, decorations, parties, presents, spending time with friends and family, and so much more. However, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t let out a squeal of excitement at the thought of all the festive Christmas adverts.

From the anticipation of the iconic John Lewis and Coca-Cola ads to the surprise early ad that comes out in October, Christmas adverts form a very important part of our overall Christmas experience.

There have been hundreds of hilarious, emotional, memorable and just fantastic ads over the years; we couldn’t possibly choose a favourite… but we’re going to try!

So, pour yourself some mulled wine, pop the Christmas tunes on and get ready for our list of the best Christmas adverts of all time, with some special shoutouts to our favourite ads of 2025.

The Best Christmas Ads of 2025

#1 The Perfect Gift - Waitrose 2025

For the second year in a row, Waitrose have blown us away with their festive feature and been crowned our favourite Christmas ad of the year.

The humorous yet heartwarming ad follows the unlikely relationship between world-famous actress Keira Knightley, and local man Phil (played by comedian Joe Wilkinson). 

Why did we love this joyful Christmas ad?

• After the immense success of BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors in October, Joe Wilkinson has cemented himself as a household name. By including Wilkinson in the ad, Waitrose have cleverly yet subtly ensured they remain culturally relevant.
• The message of the ad is that cooking for someone IS love. Instead of simply showing a selection of pre-packaged products, they’ve highlighted affordable, everyday ingredients that people can use to create something delicious this Christmas season. It kept the focus on the storytelling, while still allowing Waitrose’s products to shine through.
• You can’t have Keira Knightley in a Christmas ad and not reference Love Actually! For fans of the Christmas classic, you may spot some subtle references throughout the ad, which run a wave of nostalgia through the video.

Funny, warm AND nostalgic? All the ingredients Waitrose needs for the perfect Christmas ad!

#2 Love is all around - Aldi 2025

Up next is the return of national treasure, Kevin the Carrot. Every year, we wonder what Aldi will have in store for this very merry veggie, and they never fail to delight us.

This year is incredibly special for Kevin the Carrot, as he celebrates his ten year anniversary and embarks on the next chapter of his life: Marriage!

Amelia Miles, SEO Executive says: “The ad is festive, funny and smart, a masterclass in storytelling that sells!

“By releasing the ad in parts, Aldi builds anticipation and suspense, keeping audiences hooked and waiting for what’s next.

“The ad taps into the Zeigarnik Effect, where we have a tendency to seek closure to unfinished stories, keeping Kevin and Aldi top of mind.

“Bringing back the same character year after year also plays on brand fluency and the Endowment Effect, where we trust what feels familiar and grow attached to it over time. Kevin’s become part of Christmas tradition now!”

#3 Christmas Delivered - Debenhams 2025

Rounding out our top three Christmas ads of 2025 is the festive feelgood ‘Christmas Delivered’ campaign from Debenhams.

After closing down their iconic department stores and pivoting to multi-brand online shopping, Debenhams have flown under the radar in recent years. However, releasing their Christmas ad in October, before most other brands, firmly planted them back in the hearts and homes of people across the UK!

The glitzy, whimsical, larger-than-life Christmas parade perfectly set the tone for the start of the festive season, and, while some people might have felt more Grinch than Mariah Carey at the sight of a Christmas ad before Halloween, it made our hearts sing.

Lucy Todd, Marketing Manager, says: “By tapping into cultural relevance, featuring the likes of Olivia Attwood and Peter Crouch, they've managed to do what so many brands struggle with: feeling current and nostalgic at the same time.

“The tone, the casting, the humour, it all feels like a smart move that places them back in the mix with the big hitters like Marks and Spencer, and Sainsbury’s.”

If their fun-filled ad is anything to go by, we’ll be seeing a lot more from them in 2026 and beyond! 
 

Our Favourite Christmas Ads of All Time

#1 Holidays are Coming Campaign - Coca-Cola 1995-Present Day

Our first festive favourite has been running for over 25 years, and we bet you can hear the ‘Holidays are Coming’ jingle in your head already!

Every year, the sound of Coca-Cola’s iconic Christmas trucks makes us feel like Christmas is well and truly on its way. Simple but incredibly effective, Coca-Cola nails their ad year after year.

Hannah Welsh, Senior Growth Marketing Manager, says: “Once you hear that song, Christmas is coming. 

“I remember when I was younger watching X Factor and hearing that song on the adverts, you knew Christmas was just around the corner. 

“It is so nostalgic, and the fact they don't need to change anything in the ad year after year shows how powerful it is!”

What we love about the Coca-Cola Christmas ad is that the brand goes one step further by combining it with out-of-home marketing to create anticipation, excitement and all-around Christmas magic. Every year, the infamous Coca-Cola truck goes on a tour, and in the past has been through locations such as Wembley Park in London, Bluewater in Kent and Dublin in Ireland.

Many say that seeing the bright red, twinkly truck is the beginning of their countdown to Christmas, although, with 2025’s AI-generated Christmas ad causing some controversy, will it be de-throned as a staple of Christmas in coming years?

#2 Monty the Penguin - John Lewis 2014

When you think about Christmas adverts, your mind probably wanders to John Lewis pretty quickly. From dragons and snowmen to penguins and animated hares, John Lewis has released some memorable ads over the years.

However, there’s one that’s stuck with our team for almost a decade! In 2014, John Lewis released ‘Monty the Penguin’, which follows a young boy and his penguin best friend. As the young boy realises Monty is lonely, he surprises him with a girlfriend of his very own and makes his dreams come true.

By focusing on Monty the Penguin for the majority of the ad, rather than having a wide range of characters and people, John Lewis uses the Identifiable Victim Effect to their advantage. This is the behavioural nudge that suggests that having one individual who is described at length will evoke much deeper emotions than a group of anonymous individuals.

Hannah says: “Everything about this advert was perfect to me, from the music to the storyline, it was utterly heartwarming and exactly what I needed to see. 

“It was also a genius move by John Lewis as you could purchase Monty and bring the advert to life.”

This Christmas advert pulled at people’s heartstrings and was a complete commercial success, as John Lewis reported a ‘4.8% increase in like-for-like sales across the five weeks to Christmas’. Want to learn how to take a leaf out of John Lewis’ book? Read our blog on how to increase conversions at Christmas.

As John Lewis have had so many brilliant Christmas ads over the years, we couldn’t leave without mentioning their 2011 ad ‘The Long Wait’. Hannah says: “I adored this because it’s all about pure excitement. Not for opening presents, though, but excitement at giving his parents a gift that he chose himself. This is something that sat so well with me, and I resonated with massively!”

#3 1914 - Sainsbury’s 2014

This emotional and powerful Christmas ad was chosen by several of our team as one of the most memorable Christmas ads of all time.

What does Team Reflect think? “Thinking back, the Christmas advert that stays in mind for me is the Sainsbury’s 2014 centenary of the 1914 WWI ‘Christmas Truce’ where the soldiers laid down their weapons, rose from the trenches of No Man’s Land, to exchange Christmas greetings, rations and a game of football.

“The Sainsbury’s advert portrays this beautifully – complete with a dusting of snow, a Christmas carol, suspense, drama and ending with a warm sense of feel-good emotions.

“What I particularly loved about this Christmas campaign was the vintage design of the chocolate bar, reminiscent of the era. This certainly nudged me and many others into buying a few bars as gifts, which raised around £500,000 for The Royal British Legion Charity.

“Christmas is all about sharing!”

#4 The Big Night - Sainsbury’s 2018

Sainsbury’s is a true festive force to be reckoned with when it comes to Christmas adverts, with their 2018 ad also being a firm favourite amongst the team. Proving they can go from one emotional extreme to the other, ‘The Big Night’ is a stark contrast to ‘1914’, with a Nativity-esque depiction of a school’s Christmas show.

So, why does this make the list? It’s simple really. This Christmas ad appeals to everyone:

• It’s relatable to children, who may be putting on their own school Christmas shows
• It’s nostalgic for young adults, who can reminisce back to their school days
• It’s emotional for parents and families, who know what it’s like to wait nervously in the audience for their child to perform

This Christmas ad has also given us one of the greatest moments of the 21st century: ‘Plug Boy’.

The stage is filled with students dressed as shining stars, snowflakes, baubles, turkeys and… a plug. That’s right, affectionately named ‘Plug Boy’, the advert sees a student dressed as a plug take a running jump into a giant socket on the wall. Behind him trails a line of students dressed as Christmas lights, whose costumes light up when plugged in.

Brilliantly bizarre, ‘Plug Boy’ has been the topic of many conversations and is still being talked about today, giving us no choice but to put ‘The Big Night’ on our list of the best Christmas ads of all time. Well done, Sainsbury’s!

#5 Have your Elf a Merry Christmas - Asda 2022

If you’ve seen this advert, you won’t be surprised that it’s made our list of the best Christmas ads of all time. Asda exceeded all expectations with their ad, which sees Buddy the Elf from the 2003 Christmas Classic ‘Elf’ working his first shift at the supermarket chain.

It takes iconic moments from the film and integrates them into locations around the supermarket, making for hilarious but wholesome encounters with colleagues and customers.

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We see key elements of the nostalgia effect at play here, with the idea that people place a higher value on social connectedness than on saving money. By using a well-loved character and replicating someone’s first day at a new job, people are left reminiscing about their own experiences watching the film for the first time and their first job.

Cheerful, festive and full of laughs… Asda elevated the Christmas ad game in 2022!

Key Takeaways

After reminiscing about all our favourite Christmas ads over the years, we truly wish it could be Christmas every day!

So, what have we learnt about what it takes to be crowned the most iconic Christmas ad the world has ever seen?

• Show your understanding of human behaviour by incorporating the Nostalgia Effect into ads, playing on childhood memories such as classic films and memorable milestones
• Emotion is the key to Christmas success, whether you make your audience laugh, cry or both!
• Brand plays just as important a part as the video itself - Coca-Cola’s Christmas truck has become part of their brand identity
• 1 memorable moment can go a long way - ‘The Big Night’ may not have made the list if it wasn’t for ‘Plug Boy’

Are you looking to compliment your seasonal ads with marketing from other channels? Come and chat with us about Paid Media, SEO, Digital PR or Customer Experience. We can help you supercharge your marketing strategy to elevate your business above your competitors. Get in touch with us today!