Marks & Spencer: A nearly naked, young, hot Santa – UK Christmas retail’s classic Chrissy advertising has been given a shake-up. Shots of Santa (aka James Norton) naked except for an M&S white cotton towel have gone viral. The idea that’s drowning out other Christmas ad conversations is by Mother, and the film is directed by Smuggler’s Shannon Murphy. Lucy Punch plays Mrs Claus, the protagonist who entices Santas to sharpen his look by ditching the bear and baggy red suit. That gives Santas the idea to go out into the world to experience Christmas (incognito) for the first time. Yes, the Christmas warm and fuzzy feelings do come in from here. Santa’s explorations are underscored by Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven Is a Place on Earth,  performed by Welsh singer, Katherine Jenkins, who also makes a cameo. The Home of Christmas also reunites M&S’s food, fashion, home and beauty businesses under one holiday advertising platform for the first time since 2017.

Watch the ad here.

JD Sports: Uncommon Creative Studio’s fourth Christmas campaign for JD Sports, Create the New, woos (and most likely wins) the brand’s youth audience with more than 25 names from sport, music, fashion, and film, and an edgy unscripted feel.

Uncommon has given JD Sports Christmas film to a different director every year since it took over the account in 2023. This year, directing duo the Reid Brothers, Will and Ed Reid, took the helm. The commercial follows cultural figures collaborating on creative projects. Sammy Virji, Josh Baker, Skye Newman, and Chris Stassy create a track in a makeshift kitchen studio, for example. Other creators include footballer, Ferran Torres, with designer, Antonia Bronze, and Argentine singer, Emilia Mernes, with Italian rapper Ele A.

Grace and Paul Oakfield’s Not Over Yet provides the soundtrack. The full campaign includes an Amsterdam rave and European retail activations, extending the theme of creative reinvention beyond the screen.

The edgy idea follows last year’s campaign, Where Are You Going?, that handed creative control to 286 young people worldwide.

TJ Maxx: The individuality theme that burst open in the world of fashion and beauty a few years ago has been revived by TJ Maxx (TK Maxx in the UK, Ireland, Europe, and Australia). The US holiday campaign by Ogilvy encourages holiday shoppers to break from traditions, set to a remake of Mama Cass’ ‘60s anthem, Make Your Own Kind of Music.

Make Your Own Kind of Holiday, directed by directed by Dave Meyers, follows a cast of characters who stand out from crowds of people wearing matching outfits and celebrating with identical decorations, highlighting TJ Maxx as the place where shoppers can express their personal styles without breaking the bank. The campaign builds on the retailer’s Never Uniform, Always You brand platform, that launched in June with a spot featuring Diana Ross, Mindy Kaling, Ilona Maher and Chloe Flower.