It’s November. The Halloween decorations are barely back in the loft and the advertising industry has officially declared it Christmas.

And what a festive feast we’ve got.

Talking vegetables. Celebrity Santas. Emotional support dogs. And enough famous faces to fill an Elton John after-party. Well, nearly.

From feel-good festivities to sexy santa, there’s plenty of Christmas magic in the air.

So, grab a mince pie, pour yourself something nice and settle in.

Here’s my round-up of the Christmas ads of 2026. The brilliant, the bizarre, and the beautifully bonkers.

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THE GREAT BRITISH SUPERMARKET CHRISTMAS WARS

Sainsbury’s: Big Friendly Groceries

The BFG is back. Again.

This time he’s feeling a bit poorly and considering giving Christmas a miss. Fortunately, Sainsbury’s delivery driver Annie is on hand to save the day, armed with a van full of festive food.

Big adventure. Big heart. Big supermarket delivery.

Tesco UK: Special Delivery

A Christmas food delivery ends up at the wrong address, accidentally reuniting two old school friends.

Starring Anna Maxwell Martin and Roisin Conaty, it’s a lovely little story about friendship, fate and the unexpected benefits of incompetent delivery logistics.

And a rather clever way to make the delivery service the hero.

Tesco Ireland: The Magic Makers

Tesco Ireland celebrates the people who help make Christmas happen, with a little festive magic along the way.

A lovely territory for a retailer. Because behind every perfect Christmas is usually someone who’s been up since 5am.

Morrisons: Goldilocks and the Three Turkeys

Goldilocks and the Three Bears get the Christmas treatment as Morrisons sets out to prove it has everything needed for a festive feast that’s just right.

A clever twist on a familiar fairy tale.

Although I’m still not entirely comfortable with a story about breaking and entering.

Waitrose: The Perfect Gift 2

Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson return for another festive romance.

This time there’s a love rival, relationship drama and enough delicious food to distract us from the fact that Joe Wilkinson somehow pulled Keira Knightley.

Twice.

A supermarket romcom franchise. Who’d have thought?

Aldi UK: Kevin The Carrot and The Christmas Wish

Kevin the Carrot returns for another festive adventure involving Cauli-Dog, Chantenay and a Christmas mystery.

What started as a supermarket mascot is now a fully fledged entertainment franchise.

He’s basically the James Bond of the vegetable aisle.

Only considerably cheaper to dress.

Lidl: Lidl Christmas Everybody

Lidl has enlisted Shaun Williamson, Chris Kamara, and a collection of familiar faces for a gloriously cheesy Christmas music video.

It’s ridiculous. It’s knowingly ridiculous. And that’s rather the point.

A festive singalong with plenty of personality and a very healthy sense of humour.

And with the number of references to Lidl throughout this, it will surely score top marks with System One.

Asda: Boom. It’s Christmas.

Asda has turned up the festive energy with a Christmas campaign celebrating the joy of getting everything you need at Asda prices.

Big, bold and unapologetically upbeat.

With enough energy to make you want to do your Christmas shop in a Santa hat.

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THE BRITISH HIGH STREET GETS FESTIVE

John Lewis: Money Can’t Buy You Love

Kristin Scott Thomas plays a grandmother who’s given up trying to find the perfect Christmas present.

Enter Pickles, a talking toy dog voiced by Paul Whitehouse, who convinces her that cash in an envelope isn’t quite cutting it.

Beautifully crafted, with a cracking Sam Fender soundtrack.

A charming reminder that it’s the thought that counts.

M&S: Santa’s Having a Midlife Crisis

So far- the fan favourite.

James Norton plays a freshly shaved, shirtless Santa who’s abandoned the North Pole for a spot of Christmas shopping at M&S.

Lucy Punch plays Mrs Claus, while Katherine Jenkins provides the soundtrack.

Sexy Santa. Delicious food. A rather lovely bit of festive fun.

Yep, definitely gets my vote.

Boots: Give It Some Boots

Boots is celebrating the joy of giving with a festive campaign that encourages us to put a little more thought and enthusiasm into Christmas.

A welcome reminder that gift-giving should be fun.

Particularly when the alternative is the traditional Christmas Eve panic purchase of a shower gel gift set.

Barbour: A Cracking Christmas, Gromit

Wallace and Gromit are back for another beautifully animated Barbour adventure.

It’s a perfect partnership. British charm, impeccable craftsmanship, sensible outerwear and a dog with considerably better dress sense than most of us.

Very: That’s The Very Thing

Very’s flamingo family returns for another colourful Christmas adventure, with a little AI assistance thrown in.

It’s bright. It’s brill. It’s very Very.

Although I’m still not entirely sure what flamingos have to do with Christmas.

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CHRISTMAS BEYOND THE HIGH STREET

LEGO: Brickin’ Christmas

LEGO has brought in director Michael Gracey, Daft Punk and a whole host of characters for a big, bold celebration of festive creativity.

Beautifully made and packed with imagination.

All the magic of Christmas. All the joy of play.

And all the pain of stepping barefoot on a tiny plastic brick at six in the morning.

Arsenal: ‘Twas the Season

Arsenal brings a little festive magic to the beautiful game, with Colin Firth lending some star power to its Christmas campaign.

A clever play on words, a lovely dose of British humour and a reminder that football clubs can make cracking Christmas ads too.

Although, given the price of football merchandise, Arsenal probably qualifies as luxury retail these days.

Disney: Make the Holidays Magic

Disney has enlisted Christmas ad royalty Dougal Wilson for The Invisible Horse, a beautifully crafted tale of a boy who’s decided he’s too old for Christmas magic.

Enter an imaginary horse, a little festive wonder and a rather lovely reminder that you’re never too old to believe.

Beautiful storytelling. Gorgeous craft. And proof that sometimes the best characters are the ones you never actually see.

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CHRISTMAS GOES COUTURE

Burberry: A Very Posh Christmas

Pierce Brosnan, Fiona Shaw, Cara Delevingne and Gabrielle Union gather for an extraordinarily glamorous Burberry Christmas.

Beautiful clothes. Famous faces. A magnificent country house.

Essentially, Christmas for people who don’t need to check their bank balance in January.

Gucci: All Mariah Wants for Christmas Is Gucci

Gucci has recruited Mariah Carey for its festive campaign.

There’s a glamorous hotel, plenty of extravagance and, naturally, All I Want for Christmas Is You.

So, essentially, a perfectly normal Tuesday for Mariah.

Dior: The Nightmare Before Couture

Dior has gone beautifully old school with a hand-drawn animated film set in 1949 Paris.

Featuring the voices of Robert Pattinson, Rihanna and Camille Cottin, it’s a gloriously extravagant tale of fashion and fantasy.

Beautifully crafted, with enough couture to bankrupt a small nation.

Dior: Beauty Holidays

Dior Christmas Windows: Window Shopping for Millionaires

Dior’s festive world extends beyond the screen and into its store windows.

A lovely reminder of the power of physical retail theatre, especially at Christmas.

And an excellent opportunity to admire a handbag that probably costs more than your car.

Prada: Drawn to Christmas

Prada has taken a beautifully handcrafted approach to Christmas, mixing live action with hand-drawn animation. A little Watership Down, if you will.

With a cast including Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink, it’s a stylish celebration of imagination and artistry.

Proof that even in the age of AI, there’s something rather magical about a pencil and a piece of paper.

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CHRISTMAS DOWN UNDER

Aldi Australia: Time to Shine

Meet the Tinsleys. A family made entirely of tinsel who’ve lost their Christmas sparkle.

Fortunately, Aldi’s affordable festive feast helps them rediscover it.

A charming little story about bringing the joy back to Christmas.

And possibly the first advertising family you could pack away in the loft until next December.

Coles: Christmas Cheats

Coles is encouraging Australians to cheat at Christmas.

Well, sort of.

Its Take Credit This Christmas campaign celebrates the increasingly elaborate lengths people go to disguise their supermarket shortcuts as homemade masterpieces.

A cracking insight, beautifully observed.

Because nothing says Christmas quite like taking full credit for something you bought ready-made.

Woolworths: Tastes Like Christmas

Woolworths has turned more than 8,000 customer submissions about festive food into an original Christmas carol.

A celebration of all the weird and wonderful things Australians eat at Christmas.

A lovely way to put real customers at the heart of the campaign.

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A FEW MORE FESTIVE TREATS

Argos: Ghosts of Catalogues Past

Richard Ayoade gets a visit from the ghosts of Argos past, courtesy of Connie the doll and Trevor the dinosaur.

A clever Christmas Carol twist that taps into Britain’s collective nostalgia for circling things in the Argos catalogue.

And a lovely way to remind us that Argos sells considerably more than toys.

Levi’s: Have Yourself a Fuzzy Little Christmas

Levi’s has brought back claymation for a wonderfully tactile Christmas film featuring Gus, a big furry creature searching for his place at the festive table.

Beautifully handmade, brilliantly odd and full of charm.

Although I’m not sure how Gus would get on with a pair of skinny jeans.

SO, WHO’S WON CHRISTMAS?

Well, it’s a bit early to start handing out the mince pies.

But my personal faves are M&S, Barbour and Waitrose. A sexy Santa, a cracking bit of animation and the unlikely romantic appeal of Joe Wilkinson. What’s not to love?

And it’s great to see so many familiar faces returning. Kevin the Carrot, the BFG, Wallace and Gromit. Proof that a great creative idea is the gift that keeps on giving.

Of course, there’s still plenty of time for a few more festive surprises. But one thing’s for sure. Christmas remains one of those rare occasions when people actually look forward to watching the ads.

And for those of us in advertising, that’s a rather lovely Christmas present.

Merry Christmas. May your production budgets be enormous, your client feedback minimal and your Christmas parties fully expensed.