The Christmas Ads Are Coming To Town

It seems every year I have barely had time to take off my Halloween mask or put out my bonfire before I am learning how cheap I can buy 2 bottles of cava from the local co-op. So the question at hand is why everyone feels the need to start their festive season in the late days of October?

I think about this every time the new John Lewis advert surfaces and shuts down the country faster than any Kardashian behind could dream of. But does this really capture the spirit of everyone’s favourite holiday? The answer, sadly, is no. Because these adverts often do not capture the real reason everyone counts down the days until the 25^th. Instead they are forcing you to think of what really matters, the spending! Think about it, how early you think about buying countless presents for loved ones, friends, your boss, your dog, your boss’s dog? Now compare that too when you feel like you can enjoy your Christmas stress free?

The problem is in the ads. By letting the adverts define when our Christmas begins we are at risk of everyone’s favourite holiday (I know its mine) becoming what Easter or valentines day are already, a purely consumer based affair.

Brands like Sainbury’s and John Lewis’s ads always try and pull on the heartstrings by basing their campaigns around the values of Christmas that stand within all western participators. Themes never travel too far from  family values and bringing everyone together as one. Please. They use these values and distort them into a situation where people feel that the trick to achieving this idealistic holiday is by the quality of your products and everything that comes with them.

The truth is Christmas is not about what you have, it is about what you do with what you do have. You do not need those fancy sparkling Rudolf decorations or the parsnips that cost and extra £3 because of a sprinkling of rosemary to have an enjoyable 25th.

But saying all this, I would watch ‘The Man On The Moon’ a million times over to not have Kerry Katona try and sell me a festive take on frozen sausage rolls! let us never forget..