WASHINGTON — Christmas commercials, like all commercials, have one purpose: to sell something. But sometimes, there are ads that make you forget why is it that you’re reaching for your wallet.
Here is a sampling of 2016’s best Christmas commercials.
In this commercial by Michigan-based supermarket chain Meijer, a man with white hair and a long, white beard is stalked, gawked at and approached by children who believe he is Santa Claus. But isn’t he?
Great minds think alike in Amazon’s commercial of a priest and an imam who order the same item for each other. This ad shows two men of different faiths united by friendship and achy knees.
You may not have seen this on TV but this commercial from Polish auction site Allegro will tug at your heartstrings as you watch an elderly man learn how to speak English for a very special occasion. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Editor’s Note: There is one word of profanity at around 1:35.
In this commercial from Apple, the creature from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” (played by “Everyone Loves Raymond” actor Brad Garrett) has had enough of being a poor, miserable wretch and descends to the village, with red and green bulbs. A hush falls in the town square as he approaches. What follows next is a lesson on acceptance.
This commercial by jewelry company Zales has evoked controversy. Among the couples it features are two women getting married. It has garnered praise from LGBTQ supporters and criticism from the group One Million Moms.
Since 2007, department store John Lewis’ Christmas commercials have become a British tradition. This year’s ad features Buster the Boxer, staring out the window with a look of pure longing, and maybe even envy, for something just beyond his reach but yet seems so impossible.
Again from Europe, UK retailer Marks and Spencer, finally gives Mrs. Claus the credit she deserves. Mrs. Claus, played by British actress Janet McTeer (“Songcatcher,” “Tumbleweeds”), sends Santa off on his sleigh to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. While he is gone, she takes on a special delivery in a very modern way.
Abigail Constantino started her journalism career writing for a local newspaper in Fairfax County, Virginia. She is a graduate of American University and The George Washington University.
