The 18 best holiday commercials of 2021 (original) (raw)
'Tis the season to have our emotions manipulated by scheming conglomerates! Sorry if we sound cynical, it's been a grand couple of years.
Nonetheless, we're here to find the cheer and ranking the best holiday commercials of the year from around the globe seems like as fine a place as any to start. Will advertising execs. continue to lean into the pandemic as a theme this year? (Please no!) Will Kevin the Carrot make a spirited return? (Please yes!) How many catchy covers will live in our brains rent free for the remainder of the year? (Please none!) Let's find out with EW's Annual Holiday Commercial Countdown. (And, yes, most of them are from the U.K. — we're sorry, they just do them better.)
18. Tesco
The U.K. supermarket gets points for song choice and showcasing resilience, but loses points for threatening to quarantine Santa and just COVID references in general.
17. Walmart
The retailer is promoting going all in and not holding back this holiday season, which we appreciate considering last year's muted celebrations. Walmart also seems to approve of our need for constant selfies.
16. Amazon
A drab cityscape, a pre-holiday pop quiz, anxiety-inducing nights out? Amazon, we appreciate your realism and thank you for showing us that a moment of neighborly kindness can be all it takes to change someone's day.
15. Apple
Directed by Jason Reitman and his father, Ivan Reitman, and shot entirely an iPhone 13, Apple's 2021 offering reminds us that a) we're still on an iPhone 11 and b) that devotion kinda almost pays off? Whatever, it has a happy ending with a family coming together to help rebuild a little girl's snowman — one that she's kept in the freezer for an entire year.
14. Chase
Oh, Chase, we see your nostalgic manipulation and we're here for it. The bank's holiday commercial sees Catherine O'Hara lose Kevin in a department store. Only it's not Macaulay Culkin's Home Alone character that's missing this time, it's Kevin Hart. It's almost enough to subscribe to whatever Chase is offering here.
13. Peloton
Well, Peloton could really only improve after their "Gift Like No Other" 2019 ad. The spot stars Brett Gelman (Fleabag, Stranger Things) as Scrooge, who trades peddling fear with his penny-pinching ways for pedaling a Peloton and getting "hella swole."
12. Asda
We're here for British supermarket chain's festive diversity push and, frankly, the sparkly dresses. Sleighing it, Asda.
11. Lidl
We never thought an underground supermarket holiday party could be fun, but then we saw how cute the elves running amok in Lidl are and now we want an invite to next year's shindig.
10. Posten
Santa finding forbidden love with an attractive older Swedish man? It's a Merry Christmas indeed!
9. John Lewis
A Christmas commercial that makes us feel festive and reminds us to be accepting of other people's differences ranks high on our list. Plus, there's some pretty delicious looking mince pies in there too.
8. Disney
We're not surprised Disney produced some A+ animation for their 2021 holiday ad, we are surprised by how moved we were by the stepdad's gingerbread house success story! A bunch of your favorite Frozen friends make a guest appearance too.
7. McDonald's
Imaginary friends are for life, not just for Christmas... or so McDonald's would have us believe this holiday season. The blue fuzzy creature, named Iggy, makes for such a cuddly companion, we can't blame the girl in the commercial for keeping him around as she awaits Santa's arrival over the years.
6. Coca Cola
What's Christmas without neighbors coming together to spread holiday cheer? We salute Coca Cola for its 2021 heartwarming ad that sees a group who live together in an apartment building pull together to create access for Santa. We also appreciate them not pushing product placement until the very last scene.
5.Macy's
Macy's holiday commercial introduces us to a young reindeer named Tiptoe who's afraid to fly, a barometrically elevating levitation instigation engine with vehicular enhancement (a.k.a. a flying machine), and a heartwarming inspirational message: "If you believe in yourself, there's no telling how high you can soar."
4. Boots
The British pharmaceutical retailer is pulling out the stops, enlisting Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who, The Serpent) and a bottomless bag of endless gifts to inspire festive feeling. Sure, an unlimited amount of presents sounds great, but what's really great is giving your granny a gift that truly shows her how much you love her.
3. Barbour
Barbour is celebrating 100 years of re-waxing their jackets with everyone's favorite bear, Paddington! The beloved Brit decides to give Mr. Brown a gift of his very worn Barbour jacket — but spruced up. Paddington grabs a tin of Barbour wax and after reading the instructions he declares the task "as simple as spreading marmalade on bread!" Of course, it's actually a chaotic experience, but what's Christmas without a little chaos?
2. Aldi
No one can make us care about the fate of animated root vegetables and fruits as much as Aldi. In their 2021 Christmas offering, we're introduced to Ebanana Scrooge who can't seem to find the joy of Christmas. Luckily, our buddy Kevin the Carrot takes on the Spirit of Christmas a la A Christmas Carol to show him that the holidays are a time for "peas and good will!" and soon ol' Ebanana starts to see Christmas through Kevin's eyes.
1. Wayfair
Wayfair snags the top spot this year with its tearjerker ad that sees a widow get ready to host the holidays alone for the first time. After a run-in with the mixer, grandpa creates the perfect festive family celebration with a little help from the home-goods retailer.
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