All the best Christmas ads of 2022 to get you into a festive mood
By Karishma Sarkari|
?Christmas commercials to the Brits are what Super Bowl ads are to Americans จC an annual event that often features celebrities and usually racks up the views online.
This year's Marks and Spencer commercial for their clothes and homewares certainly ticks those boxes.
The UK department store, who also has a separate star-studded FoodHall commercial, nabbed one of the biggest singers of the moment for their 60-second clip จC Harry Styles.?
Watch video above.?
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The former One Direction star's hit song from his second solo album, Treat People With Kindness, can be heard in the background as families wake to Christmas morning.
As people hand out presents to one another, brass bands play and gospel choirs sing in and around one small UK town before ?the voiceover tells viewers how buying gifts helps charities.
READ MORE: ?Aussie stars reveal their go-to last-minute Christmas gift
While they're generally a very competitive thing across brands in the UK, for us Aussies, we just like to watch them all to get the festive feels going as we slide towards the holidays.
Here are some of the other Christmas commercials released in 2022:
McDonald's UK - The List
A young boy, named Alfie, spends weeks creating a list to Santa after seeing a girl and her dad playing with a bike.
Alfie keeps adding to his list, which reaches epic proportions but on his way to post the letter to Santa, a gust of wind blows it away.
Mum tries to cheer him up with a trip to McDonald's and we then find out what he really wanted all along was the family to be together.
O2 - The Snowgran
This sweet animation tugs at the heartstrings in typical Christmas ad style.
A little girl watches from her window as the lonely old snowwoman from across the road goes about her business, looking downcast, as others celebrate the festive season around her.
The girl and her little blue robot friend (the ?UK telco's mascot) go across the road and gift their neighbour some O2 data, which allows her to FaceTime with family far away จC and as a result, she thaws into a regular old lady.
John Lewis จC The Beginner
Britain's big department store ?John Lewis is usually famed for its "tear jerkers" and this year's commercial is no different. The ad, titled The Beginner, shows a man attempting to learn how to ride a skateboard and failing repeatedly.
The ad shows a man attempting to learn how to ride a skateboard and failing repeatedly.
It's only right at the end we find out why the foster father-to-be has worked so hard to get on the board?.
The ad's quickly been praised for "reading the room" amid the cost of living crisis.
Disney? จC The Gift
Disney's 2022 Christmas ad brings to an end the company's "From our family to yours" trilogy, a storyline that's played out over the last few years.
This year sees the blended family adjusting to their new life together with a new arrival on the way.
The song in the ad is sung by Encanto star Jessica Darrow.
M&S Food - ?Fairy is back
Last year the supermarket chain introduced ?Dawn French as Christmas Tree Fairy, alongside Tom Holland who voiced the character Percy Pig.
This year French is back but is instead joined by comedy sidekick ?Jennifer Saunders, who voices a dog toy, named Duckie.
The ad brings comedic duo French & Saunders back on TV screens for the first time in years.?
Asda - Have your Elf a Merry Christmas
As Michael Buble's Santa Claus is Coming to Town is heard inside an Asda supermarket, Will Ferrell's famous character Buddy the Elf is seen applying for a job.
Scenes from the cult classic Elf have been cleverly edited into this Christmas ad to fit the narrative and look like Ferrell has gotten back into character for it.?
Lego - We invite you all to build a playful holiday?
Katy Perry stars in the Lego commercial, which is more broadly for the silly season, rather than just Christmas.
It encourages a 'playful holiday' and shows the singer in a number of different outfits and in different Lego worlds before belting out her hit song Firework to a bunch of excited children.
Barbour - One of a kind-ness
British clothing brand Barbour have nabbed possibly one of this year's biggest stars จC Paddington.
After wowing audiences during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June before becoming a symbol for the late monarch during the period of national mourning following her death in September, the fictional character now performs an act of kindness in the animated ad.
Lidl - The Story of Lidl Bear
Another Christmas ad featuring a bear is German-owned supermarket Lidl?.
Following on from last year's Christmas jumper-clad ad, it shows a man has accidentally shrunk his beloved item of clothing in the wash and donates it to his daughter's toy teddy.
The Lidle bear goes on to become a celebrity and gets so famous he doesn't have time for his friend anymore. ?
Tesco - ?Stand for Joy
This year, UK supermarket Tesco are focusing on their value for money offerings as they poke fun at British politics and make light of the cost of living, in an effort to promote joy (and food) for Christmas.
Boots - Joy For All
After Jenna Coleman featured in the 2021 commercial, this year the beauty and health retailer Boots went for another actress to lead their 2022 offering.
British actress Lydia West stars in this year's ad where a pair of glasses gives her an insight into her friends' wish lists.?
As she places on the spectacles, all the dull sights around her suddenly transform into festive fun and they go on to reveal what her friends and family really want this Christmas.?
Aldi - Home Alone
?Aldi's 2022 commercial pokes fun at both the upcoming Football World Cup and the seminal Christmas movie Home Alone.
Kevin the Carrot, who returns as the main star of their ad for another year, ends up being left behind in the airport by his carrot family as he plays soccer with other vegetables.
The young carrot misses out on a trip to Paris, just like Kevin in the movie.
?TK Maxx - Christmas Nailed
TK Maxx have a highly stylised but slightly kitch-retro Christmas ad this year.
The discount retailer is focusing on the joy of nailing a good gift for less, amid the rising cost of living.
The commercial show a woman getting high-fives from family and then strangers as she walks around the streets of a brightly coloured city, having "nailed" her Christmas efforts.
Morrisons - Farmer Christmas
The character of "Farmer Christmas" is back for a second year in the Christmas ad for UK supermarket chain Morrisons.
Wearing a version of the iconic red Santa suit, we see the farmer riding a tractor through fields instead of using a sleigh and then walking through factories where the food's made to check in with his "elves" as the Morrisons employees prepare items for the perfect Christmas feast.?
Sainsbury's - Once Upon A Pud?
British TV personality Alison Hammond transforms into an Countess in the 2022 commercial for the UK supermarket giant.
Like an evil Queen in a Disney movie, the Countess is shown asking locals what offerings they're bringing to her Christmas feast, to decide if it's good enough for a space at her table.
After shocking everyone by declaring she isn't a fan of Christmas pudding, a young baker sets about to create a new version of the classic so she can "taste the difference", which is the brand's year-round tagline.
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