As the holiday season 2025 kicks off, the battle of the Christmas commercials is once again in full swing. Big brands are rolling out their festive adverts, each vying to become the talk of the season and warm our wintery hearts. These aren’t just ads – they’ve become a beloved holiday tradition, sparking as much anticipation as the first twinkle of lights on Oxford Street. In 2025, heavy hitters like John Lewis, Coca-Cola, and Sainsbury’s have already unveiled their Christmas campaigns, each taking a very different approach – from tear-jerking nostalgia to cutting-edge AI experiments – and plenty more are on the way.
For now, we’ve rounded up the best Christmas adverts of 2025 released so far, bringing you a mix of heartwarming storytelling, high-tech spectacle, and nostalgic fun. (We’re listing them chronologically by release date, and we’ll keep this list updated as new ads debut.) Let’s dive into the standout holiday ads of 2025 – consider this a festive playlist of commercials that’s still growing with the season.
Sainsbury’s Christmas 2025 Advert “The Unexpected Guest”
Sainsbury’s kicks off the season with pure imagination, reviving Roald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant (BFG) for a giant holiday caper. In this 90-second adventure, a new “greedy” giant crashes Christmas – literally – by gobbling up every feast in sight, from turkeys to truffles, sending a Sainsbury’s delivery driver (a real employee cameo) on a frantic mission to save everyone’s dinner. It’s a giant-sized slice of festive fun: think nostalgic storybook magic meets modern CGI slapstick, as the mischievous behemoth rampages through snowy streets in search of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference treats. Beyond the laughs, the ad cleverly puts the supermarket’s food front-and-center – the message being that their holiday goodies are so good, even a 48-foot giant can’t resist. With its playful nods to childhood classics and a feel-good finale (yes, even giants can learn to share), “The Unexpected Guest” stands tall among 2025’s Christmas ads as a delightful crowd-pleaser that’s equal parts heart and humor.
Coca-Cola’s AI-Generated “Refresh Your Holidays” Ad: Holiday Magic or Misfire?
Coca-Cola’s 2025 Christmas ad dared to blend tradition with technology – and it’s stirred up more debate than holiday cheer. The spot resurrects the brand’s iconic “Holidays Are Coming” red trucks with a high-tech, AI-assisted makeover, complete with dazzling CGI scenery and a menagerie of animals gazing up as the convoy rolls by. Yet despite the visual spectacle, many viewers feel this refresh lacks the soul of Coca-Cola’s classics. Critics on social media have blasted it as “soulless” and oddly off-key. They point to everything from the uncanny, blank-eyed polar bears and pandas, to a blink-and-you-miss-it Santa cameo that left nostalgic fans cold. Coca-Cola pitched this experiment as a bold new chapter in their holiday playbook, but so far audiences are asking: where’s the real magic? “Refresh Your Holidays” is arguably 2025’s most controversial Christmas commercial – a cautionary tale that even with all the AI wizardry, you can’t code the Christmas spirit.
John Lewis 2025 Christmas Advert – “The Gifting Hour” Review
John Lewis’s annual Christmas advert is practically a national event in the UK, and 2025’s “The Gifting Hour” delivers the heart-tugging magic fans have come to expect. This beautifully crafted spot follows a young woman wandering a John Lewis store that magically transforms into portals of Christmases past as she searches for the perfect present. Set to a delicate acoustic cover of The Beatles’ “In My Life,” it doubles down on nostalgia with warm golden memories, soft twinkling lights, and hardly a product in sight until the final logo appears. The result? Many viewers ended up reaching for tissues by the end, with Brits declaring that Christmas officially “begins” when the John Lewis ad makes them cry (mission accomplished!). But of course, not everyone is misty-eyed – some Grinchy critics are rolling their eyes, calling it “boring, predictable, and not very Christmassy” for sticking to such a safe, sentimental formula. Love it or snark about it, “The Gifting Hour” has once again got everyone talking – racking up millions of views and trending on social media within its first day. John Lewis proves that even in an era when many brands chase memes and CGI spectacle, a well-told old-fashioned story can still shine the brightest.
Marks & Spencer (M&S Food) – “Traffic Jamming” 2025
M&S brings back its beloved Christmas Fairy (voiced by Dawn French) in a playful food-centric ad. The scene opens with a weary Dawn stuck in a Christmas Eve traffic jam, singing “Driving Home for Christmas” – until her fairy alter-ego appears and magically transforms a stalled M&S delivery truck into a rolling festive party. Suddenly the highway is a cozy dining room on wheels, serving up M&S’s signature holiday treats (with a cameo by chef Tom Kerridge). The ad delivers a warm laugh about holiday travel woes and the joy of sharing indulgent Christmas.
Morrisons – “A Year in the Making” 2025
Morrisons takes an earnest, behind-the-scenes angle. This 90-second spot highlights the real farmers, bakers, fishermen and store colleagues who work all year to bring Christmas to your table. Set to a new recording of the classic song “Stop the Cavalry,” the ad follows these food makers through all seasons – from summer harvests to winter deliveries – showing that “making Christmas” truly starts long before December. The final scene reveals a Morrisons delivery driver at a customer’s door instead of Santa, winking at the line: “Morrisons, making more of Christmas.”
Argos Christmas Ad 2025: Thought we were just for toys?
The UK catalog retailer uses humor and a celebrity cameo to shake off its “just a toy store” image. In this 90-second mini-film, Simon Bird (of The Inbetweeners fame) portrays a frazzled dad dismissing Argos while Christmas shopping – until Argos’s mascot elves Connie & Trevor literally kidnap him for a lesson. In a tongue-in-cheek, Guy Ritchie-style sequence, the duo whisk Simon to a secret warehouse filled with Argos’s surprising range of gifts (gadgets, homewares, and more, far beyond toys). By the end, the stunned shopper learns Argos has something for everyone. It’s a lighthearted, story-driven ad that uses Bird’s deadpan comedy to reinforce Argos’s slogan that “there’s more to Argos” than meets the eye.
Boots – “Gift Happily Ever After” 2025
The UK pharmacy chain goes full fairytale in a whimsical 90-second story. Puss in Boots (yes, the famous cat) needs last-minute gifts for friends like Rapunzel, Snow White and Cinderella before the Snow Queen’s Ball. A magic mirror leads him to a bustling Boots store where he picks out perfect beauty gifts for each character (from hair tools to perfume and cosmetics). Delighted, the fairytale friends head to the ball, even gifting the Snow Queen warm hand warmers as a thoughtful surprise. The ad blends storybook charm with real Boots products, celebrating the magic of finding “the perfect gift for everyone”
Asda – “A Very Merry Grinchmas” 2025
Asda pulled off a crowd-pleaser by reviving Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch in live-action form. In this fun crossover ad, the Grinch is reimagined as a grumpy green dad whose heart “is several sizes too small” thanks to holiday budget stress. His family’s wish for an extravagant Christmas seems doomed – until Asda’s famous low prices work their magic. The Grinch discovers an Asda wonderland of affordable goodies, singing a tongue-in-cheek version of “Let It Snow” with lyrics about prices “rolled back down low” as he zooms through the stores. Classically, the Grinch’s icy heart melts (literally glowing Asda green) and he transforms back into his caring human self once he sees how Asda makes Christmas joyful and budget-friendly.
Debenhams – “Debenhams Delivered”
The online department store (a heritage UK brand) goes for pure festive spectacle. Its ad begins on a quiet British street that is suddenly turned into a full-blown Christmas parade delivered to your doorstep. Celebrities Peter Crouch, Judi Love, Olivia Attwood and more appear on giant floats shaped like gifts, exclaiming that it’s “never too soon” to get into the Christmas spirit. The over-the-top parade highlights the convenience of Debenhams’ online shopping (“everything you need in one place”) amid dancing lights and sparkles. It’s a glitzy, feel-good celebration of “connection, joy and effortless shopping” in true British style.
Burberry – “’Twas the Knight Before…”
British luxury brand Burberry delivers a star-studded Christmas film titled ’Twas the Knight Before…. Set at an elegant London townhouse party, the ad features an all-star cast – Jennifer Saunders as the mischievous host, joined by supermodel Naomi Campbell, actor Ncuti Gatwa, model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and even footballer Son Heung-min. The glamorous guests exchange quips and gifts in Burberry’s latest fashions, celebrating friendship and British style with a dash of humor and nostalgia. The title plays on the famous poem, giving it a Burberry twist (a nod to the brand’s equestrian knight logo). It’s a lavish, fashion-forward take on holiday cheer
Barbour – Wallace & Gromit Christmas
The classic British outerwear brand teamed up with Aardman Animations to bring beloved claymation duo Wallace & Gromit back for the holidays. In a charming 90-second animated short, Wallace unveils his latest invention – a “Gift-O-Matic” machine for instant present-wrapping – which inevitably malfunctions into gentle chaos. Ultimately, Wallace and loyal dog Gromit end up exchanging the same gift with each other: matching Barbour tartan scarves, which they unwrap together by the fireplace. The film ends with the tagline “Barbour. We’ve got Christmas covered,” tying the warm, witty story into the brand’s heritage of cozy winter wear
More Christmas ads of 2025
The holiday advertising blitz has only begun, and this list of festive ads is far from final. Many heavyweights (from M&S and Boots to Aldi, Amazon, and more) have yet to unwrap their 2025 Christmas campaigns, so expect even more buzzworthy commercials in the coming weeks. We’ll keep updating this roundup as new contenders arrive and, by season’s end, crown our ultimate top 10 Christmas ads of 2025. Stay tuned – the festive fun is just getting started!
Christmas ads – Honorable mentions
Not every Christmas ad earns a top-tier spotlight, but some still deserve a festive nod. These are the solid runners-up — charming, clever, or just beautifully executed spots that didn’t quite jingle all the way to the top ten.
The Home Depot – The Right Tree
Home Depot’s holiday spot swaps hard-sell hardware for heartwarming heritage. It follows the quiet journey of a Christmas tree from a small family farm to the center of a bustling living room, framed by scenes of craftspeople and communities keeping traditions alive. There’s no glossy influencer energy here — just sawdust, sincerity, and the unmistakable scent of pine. In a retail season dominated by AI-driven flash, “The Right Tree” reminds us that authenticity can still outshine algorithms.
