Best Christmas adverts of 2023, including M&S, Waitrose and more
It's that time of year again. Halloween has come and gone, Bonfire night is over, and Mariah Carey has defrosted (no really), so, naturally, the Christmas adverts are arriving in their droves.
If you're struggling to get into the festive spirit this year, we've rounded up all the best Christmas ads to (hopefully) help you out with that.
Marks & Spencer Christmas Ad
Marks & Spencer's 2023 offering does not disappoint, thanks to an all-star cast including Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham, The Marvels star Zawe Ashton, Queer Eye's Tan France and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Soundtracked by Ray BLK's cover of Meatloaf's 'I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)', the advert opens with the group prepping Christmas decorations before they decide to reject tradition.
Sophie sets a pile of Christmas cards alight, Tan topples a board game over at a party, Zawe swings at a toy elf with a roll of wrapping paper, and Hannah shreds Christmas crackers into confetti.
The clip concludes with Hannah looking at the camera as she picks up the discarded elf, with the message at heart being to "do only what you love" during the festive season.
Sadly the ad became notorious on its launch for a perceived political slant, due to an out-take posted online that featured burning party hats in the colours of the Palestinian flag. The scene – filmed in August, as M&S were at pains to point out – isn't part of the finished advert, and they pulled the post with an apology.
Waitrose Christmas Ad
Graham Norton takes centre stage in Waitrose's festive advert, which celebrates the "good stuff" the supermarket has on offer this Christmas.
The clip, which is set to 'Just Can’t Get Enough' by Depeche Mode, follows a Christmas party that goes slightly awry when guests arrive too early, someone gets locked in the bathroom and the power cuts out.
However, these mishaps are quickly forgotten thanks to the selection of tasty food and drink Waitrose has to offer (such as the No.1 Golden Bûche de Noël that Graham shows up with) – because "when the food's good, everything’s good".
Asda Christmas Ad
Michael Bublé (aka Mr Christmas himself) takes on the role of Chief Quality Officer in Asda's 2023 advert, which was shot by Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi.
After using his expertise to check the quality of each product – which he does by sampling everything from the succulent truffle and parmesan pigs in blankets to the chocolate and orange panettone – Bublé joins his co-workers outside the store to sing 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland'.
Amazon Christmas Ad
Amazon's festive campaign, which is soundtracked by a cover of The Beatles' 'In My Life', is a "love letter to deep friendships and the joyful memories we share".
The advert follows three older women who wistfully watch on as kids and teenagers sledge down a snowy hill in their local park.
After taking in the joyous scene, one of the women opens her Amazon shopping app to buy the group cushions so they can join in the fun.
The following day, the three women relive their younger years by sledging down the hill with the younger generation.
Sainsbury's Christmas Ad
The Sainsbury's Christmas advert sets out to answer a very important question this year: what does Santa have for his Christmas dinner?
The supermarket's staff and customers have plenty of delicious suggestions, including a Taste the Difference beef wellington and a succulent turkey crown, which all magically appear on the big guy's table.
Rick Astley even makes an appearance and suggests some cheese, though a Sainsbury's employee is quick to point out: "C'mon, Rick! Cheese before pudding? You know the rules!"
Speaking about his cameo, the '80s pop icon said: "It was a real honour and so much fun to join the Sainsbury’s store team on the shoot – even if they did pull me up on my cheeseboard before dessert suggestion!"
Lidl Christmas Ad
This Christmas, Lidl wants to remind viewers of the huge impact small acts of kindness can have during the festive season.
The retailer's advert begins with an adorable racoon looking through a window to see a little boy and his family decorating their Christmas tree. However, the boy is left upset when their pet dog accidentally smashes his favourite decoration.
To cheer him up, the boy's mum picks up a cuddly toy while doing the weekly shop at Lidl, though she accidentally drops it on her way home.
Having spotted this, the racoon sets out on an arduous mission to ensure the toy is put under the family's tree in time for Christmas.
Aldi Christmas Ad
Kevin the Carrot is back, and this year he's exploring William Conker's Magical Christmas Factory.
The Willy Wonka-inspired advert sees five lucky ticket winners enter the factory, where the plumpty-dumpties have prepared a celebration.
However, Kevin is the only one to understand the true meaning of Christmas, so Mr Conker hands him the "cheese to the factory".
Barbour Christmas Ad
Barbour's magical advert takes us on a snowy visit to Mossy Bottom Farm, home of Shaun the sheep, Bitzer the sheep dog, The Farmer, and the rest of the flock.
When Shaun and the gang notice The Farmer's Barbour jacket is in desperate need of a repair, they take matters into their own hooves and come together to fix it in time for Christmas.
It soon becomes clear that jacket restorations should probably be left to the experts... but it's the thought that counts, right?
Morrisons Christmas Ad
For this year's advert, Morrisons has decided to honour those who take on the mammoth task of cooking Christmas dinner.
The advert features multiple pairs of trusty oven gloves as they cheer on their respective kitchen chefs – who are all chopping, boiling and roasting away to make their festive feasts – while singing a rendition of Starship's classic '80s power ballad 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now'.
"There's always a lot to do when preparing the big Christmas meal and some classic 1980s power ballad encouragement is clearly in order," Rachel Eyre, Morrisons Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, said in a statement.
"So we've made the trusty oven glove the tuneful cheerleaders of the nation's Christmas chefs and we hope they enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. Nothing's gonna stop us making this Christmas the best for our customers."
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