It's time! The Christmas commercials of 2025 (with one clear winner, loads of Christmas trees and a few absolute disasters)

It might have been my own emotional state, but I got a proper lump in my throat from Easons Ireland. Hits exactly the right note in everything. About the magic of storytelling and the bond between grandfather and granddaughter. Traditional Christmas commercial without going over the top.

'There's no message heavier than the one we don't send.' Deutsche Telekom pulls it off again. Third year running as one of the best commercials. Woman carries a (literal) heavy burden. Row with her mother. Eventually, a simple text: sorry. Top-tier commercial.

'Ride on Time' by Blackbox. Then you immediately know EE's tempo. And that tempo is deliciously high. Modern take on all the standard commercials. Everything revolves around mobile networks, which makes sense (for EE and for Christmas 2025). With a lovely (human) twist at the end. Well done.

Basically, very simple, but Fat Face makes me genuinely happy. Also, because of the content angle ('Take a moment') that you can build out across multiple channels. Simply executed, powerful concept. A proper top Christmas commercial.

Impressed by Schuh. Modern vibe, far from stuffy, yet maintains Christmas feeling. Music is excellent. Casting exceptional. Past, present, future. Thanks to a dive into the past, woman regains her enthusiasm for Christmas (and for Schuh). Indeed, a nod to Charles Dickens.

This isn't a Christmas commercial but a content campaign. One I wish I'd thought of myself. JD Sports gave 286 young people a phone to 'see the future.'. Loads of genuine, recognisable footage of young people living their lives. Social first.

Animation for Telstra. Gothic girl finally finds her soulmate (nobody understands her): a little ghost. Slightly bizarre. Surprising indeed. I'm not sure if I think it's good or bad, but it sticks.

Burberry's is delightful. Quintessentially English. Jennifer Saunders is the lady of the house. Christmas atmosphere squared. Nothing innovative. Just good. Hey, it looks like Burberry... Also featuring Naomi Campbell (remember this one?) and Son Heung-min.

Suddenly you're in a thriller, not a Christmas commercial. Toy doll and dragon threaten man being rude about Argos. Surprising start, nice approach. Then it weakens and an espresso machine appears. Still entertaining enough.

'Even at the home of the black stuff, they dream of a white one.' This Guinness one is 'simply' beautiful. Snow, loads of atmosphere, beautifully shot, good music. Lovely.

A mega-adorable little boy stars in Shelter's commercial. Starts happy. Boy sings 'Total Eclipse of the Heart.' Everywhere and nowhere. An earworm. Later we discover why: mother has been on hold with the housing association for an hour and a half (because they’re homeless). The song's been on speaker for an hour and a half. Painful ending.

'Too soon? Never.' That's how Debenhams' commercial begins. I completely agree. The department store goes all out. With stars (Olivia Attwood, Judi Love, Peter Crouch – the latter is always a plus) and a parade with loads of bling. Nothing particularly special. Good Christmas vibe though.

Clichés everywhere. At Lidl. Girl talks about the Christmas spirit. And you see loads of happy people. And a turkey. Christmas explodes off your screen. Otherwise, the standard is very average. But the music! Wow! (Beach Boys! At Christmas!)

Saw Jennifer Saunders earlier, now her partner Dawn French appears too. And again at M&S Food. With her elf. In traffic. Dawn angry. Magic. Truck full of food. Atmosphere is good, first part fun, second part bleh (because just food).

Christmas all year round. That's apparently how it is for Morrison's staff. Funny angle. Good acting. Christmas classics are brilliantly woven throughout.

Manchester City does well. Children, footballers (Phil Foden), old heroes (Mike Summerbee), a good cause. Mix of nostalgia and future. Soaked in City blue.

Chelsea, the magic of blue. Starts very mediocre, with girl dreaming about Chelsea. I nearly switched off. The surprise comes in part two, where an emotional second layer is added (man misses deceased wife, 'blue' connects them).

Selfridges has more Disney atmosphere than Disney itself (see later), remarkable. Tinkerbell plays the starring role. Beautifully made. Properly Christmassy.

Takes far too long, but Save the Children's commercial is otherwise fine. Old-fashioned craftsmanship. Shaun the Sheep is back. Knitting jumpers for charity (Christmas Jumper Day).

And this one's sweet too. And nice. From National Trust. Little animals (made from wool and fabric) give each other presents. From the heart. So it's not about how big the gift is, but the thought behind it. Just so you know.

High energy. A lost snowman. Loads of sport. Bit of Christmas. I certainly get cheerful from this Sports Direct ad. But there was more potential.

The worst-performing football club is Liverpool. Not only disappointing in the league, their Christmas commercial scores poorly too. Little feeling, zero emotion. Couple of famous footballers.

Another worn-out (fairy tale) character. Puss in Boots. Naturally for... Boots. Only shame is that after 20 seconds the cat walks into the shop and that's it for the concept. Production value is high. Beautifully made. Bonus: Duran Duran at the end. Had more potential.

There's a Christmas tree. A fireplace. Presents. But the slogan 'It's showtime' promises a lot. Not delivered by Matalan.

White Stuff seeks collaboration with rescue dogs. Who then play the starring role. Well, it's fine. I don't get particularly enthusiastic about it.

Olympic diver Tom Daley puts on a hideously ugly Christmas jumper for the National Lottery. Incomprehensible commercial. Daley acts surprisingly well though.

A cauliflower dog. And then you know enough. Aldi goes for Kevin the Carrot again. In case you didn't know: I find it outdated, played out, not funny. But Aldi does. Part 1 has a terribly dull, overused reference to Love Actually. Part 2 as well. Totally unfunny. I'm skipping part 3.

Boring, boring, boring. Fortnum & Mason. Did I mention it was boring?

To be fair, they were first this year: Freemans. But damn, what a disappointment! An exact copy of 2024. Again with Sophie Ellis-Bextor knocking on random doors and pushing presents inside. Boring.

LOOKFANTASTIC? Meaningless. People at table. Presents. Molly-Mae Hague (from Love Island). Skip it!

It's certainly Christmas at Coca-Cola. There are little animals too. But otherwise? Nothing. And again AI (with again loads of criticism). Come on, do something new, something surprising. Something fun... (and don't say AI is new – no, it isn't).

A Yankee Candle makes you float. Or something. They try to claim the word 'magic.' Failed. But there is a Christmas tree.

Home Instead (so elderly people can stay safely at home longer) drags Kevin from Home Alone (yes, the real one) out of mothballs. Not funny, too many inside jokes, complicated execution. Obviously, a quick job for Macaulay Culkin.

The most beautiful stories begin at Macy's. But that doesn't apply to this year's Christmas commercial. With a ChatGPT storyline and made with so little love it's almost impressive.

Huh? Anya Taylor-Joy? Doesn't she work exclusively for Dior? This year for Tiffany's too apparently. Completely meaningless.

Flannels. Too difficult for me. Too little Christmas.

So amateurish I suspect British Garden Centres of doing it deliberately. Voice-over is good though. Otherwise, mediocre (girls dream of Christmas in summer, go to garden centre, fill car and hang lights).

Also skip The Home Depot. Something about decorating your house or something. I didn't quite understand it.

Majestic Wine. I find it hilarious. But that's not how it's intended. A commercial as if made in the 1980s by, I assume, a former production assistant who'd quite like to get into communications.