As they have time and time again, companies on both sides of the pond are gifting TV viewers with cinema-quality Christmas advertisements this year, hoping to charm even the Scrooges among us.
“Fundamentally, the Christmas advert is about emphasizing a sense of community and togetherness,” Dr. Richard Wallace, a television historian, told BBC News last month. “If they can get it right, they can really become TV moments.”
One theme in this year’s batch, explained retail expert Kate Hardcastle, is realism: “What’s striking this year is how the Christmas adverts are letting real life. We’re seeing themes that reflect the world as we actually live it. Audiences don’t want fantasy; they want recognition. It’s proof that even at Christmas, the stories that move us most are the ones that see us.”
But don’t worry — even the more fantastical ads below are relatable in a way that, say, Mariah Carey’s seemingly anti-labor Sephora ad and the second annual AI-generated Coca-Cola ad just aren’t. (Suffice it to say, those didn’t make our best-of list.)
With a cupful of creativity, production values aplenty, heaps of humor, and a spoonful of schmaltz, these holiday commercials are our picks for the year’s best… so far.
9. Amazon
This year, the e-commerce giant got Benedict Cumberbatch to do dramatic readings customers’ five-star reviews of various products for a series of ads. Here, for example, the Shakespeare-trained actor extolls the virtue of a steam cleaner in his British baritone.
8. Home Instead
It pains our inner-’90s-kid to think that Catherine O’Hara’s Home Alone character is apparently so old that she needs a safety plan and in-home care. But Home Instead still got us right in the nostalgia with Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin, all grown up, and even an appearance by Old Man Marley’s grandkid.
7. LEGO
When a kid is spending too much time glued to his phone, all the neglected LEGO figurines in his house are happy to reintroduce themselves to the tune of a certain Lionel Richie song. (Well, almost all the figurines… LEGO Batman is a bit grouchy about it.)
6. Boots
Puss in “Boots” — get it? The swashbuckling feline gets the perfect gifts for fairy-tale characters in this advert for the U.K. pharmacy chain. Apple-red lipstick for Snow White, a curling iron for Rapunzel… and a slipper-shaped perfume bottle for “Cinders.”
5. Barbour
Beloved claymation characters Wallace and Gromit are back, and once again, Wallace has another hare-brained invention from which his long-suffering pooch must save him in this funny spot. (Let’s just say we’re seeing a new side of Wallace.)
4. Waitrose
Widower Phil’s late wife gave him permission to move on… as long as it’s with Keira Knightley. And who should show up next to him at this grocery store’s cheese counter than the A-list actor herself? But dating a superstar comes with challenges…
3. Apple
In Apple’s Christmas ad, dubbed “A Critter Carol,” woodland creatures define friendship through song, riffing on the Flight of the Conchords ditty “Friends” with a dose of gallows humor. (Of course, the whole ad — and not just the critters’ video — was shot on iPhone.)
2. Chevrolet
Chevy’s drive down one family’s memory lane is a touching montage of moments both sweet and bittersweet. Props to the car company for featuring an older car — an ’80s-era Suburban, from the looks of it — and a poignant needle drop — “To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra featuring Patrick Watson.
1. John Lewis
In this commercial from the U.K. department store chain, a son unsure how to connect with his dad finds that music can do all the talking. He gifts a vinyl record that not only reminds dad of his glory days but also of the glory of fatherhood.
More Headlines:
‘Matlock’ Boss Teases a ‘Few Huge’ Cliffhangers in Fall Finale — Secrets Will Be ExposedWhat Happened to Simon Cowell? His 2020 Bike Accident & Health Issues, Explained‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Arrested on Felony ‘Peeping’ ChargesBest Christmas Commercials of 2025 So Far — Including Some With Familiar FacesGolden Globes 2026: Complete List of Nominees
