Considering, it’s summer in Australia at Christmastime, it seems ironic that we have taken traditions such as turkey, Christmas cards and decorations with snow, and festive songs such as “Winter Wonderland”….yet, we haven’t really taken up the tradition of Christmas Adverts.

Myer has released a great one this year (see details below), and Qantas often release “It Feels Like Home” which pulls on the heartstrings, but they are few and far between. In the UK, they are big business (in 2013, John Lewis spent $14m on theirs! Our Top 10 Christmas Adverts 2020 list incorporates UK and Australian adverts:

1. John Lewis, like most years, John Lewis wins in my opinion. This year’s ad focuses on kindness and giving to charity, and is being used to promote a Give a Little Love charity campaign. It aims to raise £5m over Christmas to help 100,000 families through food redistribution charity FareShare and Home-Start and other charities chosen locally by stores. The retail group said it had deliberately commissioned eight animation artists as a way to provide work for the struggling creative community, which has been crippled by coronavirus restrictions.
2. John Lewis (alternative), warning, this is one of the saddest adverts I have ever seen! This song/advert is dedicated to everyone who has faced hardships in 2020. With this song, they hope to raise money for multiple charities that support the elderly. They were inspired by our own hometown Sir Captain Tom Moore’s charitable efforts to raise money for a brilliant cause. With each purchase (just 79p) it will help give support & companionship to the elderly who need it most in 2020. 100% of the money will be donated to charity. You can buy the song here.
3. Aldi UK, a sequel to their 2019 Christmas TV advert. and stars Kevin the Carrot for the fifth consecutive year.
4. Aldi Australia, possibly the funniest Australian Christmas TV advert I have seen, and quite different from the UK one.
5. Amazon UK, this is the story of a young dancer whose spirit and tenacity triumphs through the challenges of 2020 (with a huge nod to Covid-19). All with a little help from her family and community. And Amazon of course.
6. Big W, bring on the lights, the anticipation, the smiles and surprises! Check out how BIG W helped a community bring one boy’s Christmas wish to life.
7. Coca-Cola, it’s not surprising that their ad is about a little girl’s letter to Santa, as Coca-Cola advertising in the 1930’s played a huge role in shaping the jolly character we know today. Their message this year is that we should give something only we can give. Be it in person, over an awkward video call, or just a quick message, making time for the ones you love is what makes Christmas truly the most special time of year, no matter how you do it.
8. TK Maxx, after the year we’ve had, everyone deserves to feel special this season. And that includes everyone in our lives, even pet goats. Join our Lil’ Goat as she struts her fabulous fashion stuff in the snow, looked on adoringly by her proud parents.
9. David Jones, this ad is quite different to all of the others. Instead of dwelling on the hard year we’ve all had, they focus on the fact they are 182 years old and take a nostalgic journey down memory lane.
10. Myer, the theme this year is ‘Bigger than Christmas’ as “we’ve all missed a lot this year – so let’s pack it all into one day and make this year bigger than Christmas.” And I know one of the stars of the advert, which is always a bonus! In fact, I’ll be celebrating Christmas Day with them!