2025 Christmas Advert Roundup – What the Big Brands Are Showing Us This Year
By Emily Rhodes
As 2025’s festive season ramps up, Britain’s top retailers are once again vying for our attention and our seasonal spend with emotionally rich, playful, and sometimes nostalgic Christmas adverts. From supermarket giants to home-ware stores, this year’s campaigns reflect a mix of heartwarming stories, budget-conscious messaging and touches of magic. Here’s a look at what’s landed so far from the biggest players.
John Lewis & Partners – “Where Love Lives”
John Lewis’s 2025 advert leans into nostalgia and emotional connection. The story centres on a father-son relationship captured through the lens of music and shared memories, they’re back to their famous covers instead of an original song like last year as it’s set to a reworked version of the 90s classic “Where Love Lives”. The theme is simple yet powerful when words fail, the right gift can speak for you. The ad encourages shoppers to choose meaningful gifts, positioning John Lewis as a place for thoughtful Christmas giving.
Whilst the advert itself isn’t my favourite of theirs, it sparked a trend on TikTok of people uploading their own versions of the advert to old footage of them or loved ones which was much more emotional for me.
M&S Food – “Traffic Jamming”
M&S brings back its festive fairy trope again, embodied by Dawn French, and it's the second year she’s also featured as herself on screen in a light-hearted, food-centric advert. The scenario: frustrated drivers stuck in a Christmas Eve motorway traffic jam. Suddenly, M&S turns a delivery truck into an impromptu festive banquet on wheels. The ad ends on a cheerful note, offering a mix of humour and festive indulgence.
Morrisons – “A Year in the Making”
Morrisons takes a heartfelt, behind-the-scenes storytelling approach this year, whilst still highlighting its core value of its British suppliers. Their 90-second advert travels through the seasons, from summer harvests to winter deliveries, spotlighting the farmers, bakers, fishermen and store colleagues who work year-round to bring Christmas food to tables across the UK. I really enjoyed the humour in this of the public looking so confused at the Morrisons workers being festive all year round. The ad concludes with a festive delivery driver arriving at a customer’s door, like a modern take on Santa, signifying how Morrisons helps families bring Christmas home. It’s a reminder that festive meals are the result of year-long work and care.
Asda – “A Very Merry Grinchmas”
Asda’s 2025 Christmas campaign adopts a more playful — and slightly cheeky — tone, bringing back The Grinch as its unlikely hero. Facing the “soaring cost of living,” Grinch becomes the face of Asda’s promise of affordable Christmas shopping. The advert taps into real-world anxieties around budgets and festive spending, using humour and familiarity to signal that, at Asda, Christmas doesn’t have to break the bank.
Aldi - “It’s a 24 carat Christmas for Kevin & Katie.”
Aldi yet again saw the return of ‘Kevin’ and I hate to say it but it’s getting a little bit old for me. The 3 part advert was released in waves, in a cliff-hanger style to keep viewers waiting and opens with a Love Actually style proposal outside Katie’s door, part 2 follows Kevin on his stag do escapades and we’re not sure whether the wedding will happen or not. Finally, part 3 finishes with Kevin and Katie’s walk down the aisle but there’s an issue with the ‘Vegistrar’ pickle stuck in a jar. Whilst I enjoyed the humour I’m just a little bit bored of Kevin after 10 years. Don’t hate me!
Tesco – “That's What Makes It Christmas”
Tesco’s 2025 Christmas campaign, That's What Makes It Christmas, shines by celebrating the perfectly imperfect reality of festive family life. Rather than one polished, high-gloss film, Tesco delivers a series of short films (10-, 20-, 30-second formats), each capturing a different slice of Christmas chaos, from awkward silent moments at the dinner table and chaotic family games, to Secret Santa dilemmas and the classic “don’t touch the fridge until Christmas Day” standoff. Narrated by comedian John Bishop and set to a playful, reimagined Holly Jolly Christmas, the tone is warm and distinctly British. While some critics have argued it lacks magic or casts Christmas in a slightly negative light, the humour and familiarity resonated strongly, reflecting the kind of comfort and laughter many recognise from their own family gatherings. By focusing on real, sometimes messy, sometimes funny family dynamics rather than staged “perfect Christmas” tropes, Tesco taps into genuine emotion and relatability, making this campaign refreshingly authentic.
Waitrose – “The Perfect Gift”
Waitrose’s 2025 Christmas advert stands out as one of the most memorable of the season for me, delivering a cinematic four-minute mini-movie that feels more like a festive rom-com than a supermarket advert. Starring Keira Knightley and comedian Joe Wilkinson, the ad blends charm, humour and nostalgia with smart storytelling that positions food as a love language from a meet-cute at the cheese counter to a heartfelt homemade turkey pie. Its warmth, emotional pull, and playful nods to classic British rom-coms (cough, cough, Love Actually 2) are why it’s this year’s winner for me. As Wilkinson put it, “It was tough having to eat delicious food and fall in love with Keira, but I just got on with it, like the trooper I am.”
So who are you giving the ‘Best Christmas Ad’ award to?
Drop us a comment and let us know!
Ready to give your marketing a Bevic Boost?
Bevic is your expert outsourced marketing and PR support, working with good people doing great things. We're friendly, hard-working, and results-driven, known for our straight-talking, fun, and creative approach. Based in Yorkshire, we partner with public sector organisations, SMEs, charities, and solopreneurs across various industries.
Whether you need ongoing team support, social media management, media profile raising, creative campaigns, or focused workshops like our Bevic Power Hours and Deep Dive sessions, we're here to help.
Let's chat over a virtual cuppa! Get in touch to discover how Bevic can elevate your marketing - vicky@bevic.co.uk