12 Reviews of Christmas - My Favorite Christmas Commercials

        Hey guys, Chuck here. And, as many of us know, there are a ton of well known commercials produced to air at Christmas time. So, for today's 12 Reviews of Christmas, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite Christmas commercials. And, there are quite a few to discuss. 

      - Hershey's Kisses: We Wish You a Merry Christmas: Okay, so this is one of the more famous Christmas commercials, and the perfect one to start off with. A bunch of Hershey's Kisses, wrapped in red or green foil, ring out like Christmas bells to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Certainly a fun choice of song, and definitely a simple commercial. And, it definitely gets me to include Hershey's Kisses among the treats I like to share with friends and family around the Christmas holidays. 

        - M&M's: Meet Santa Claus: another famous one, this M&M's commercial gets a ton of airplay at Christmas time, and has since I was a kid. In this commercial, Yellow asks Red is Santa will like a bowl of red and green M&M's, but Red hasn't met him. And, the M&M's and Santa shock each other, as Red remarks "He does exist," and Santa remarks "They do exist." Both Red and Santa pass out, and Yellow attempts to hand Santa the bowl of M&M's. Simple, funny, iconic. Much like the Hershey's Kisses commercial, this is one that when I see it, I know that it's the holiday season. 

        - Irn Bru: The Snowman: a UK beverage company called Irn Bru decided to take inspiration from the iconic animated short The Snowman to produce a pair of holiday commercials. In the first ad, boy makes a snowman, cracks open a can of Irn Bru, and the snowman comes to life and flies off with the boy in hand. The snowman wants a drink of the Irn Bru, but the boy refuses, and the fed up snowman drops the boy and takes the can of Irn Bru anyway. In the follow-up ad, the boy grabs an airplane and chases the snowman to get the can of Irn Bru back, and the boy and the snowman fight over the can, which is then nabbed by Santa and taken elsewhere. Together, these two Irn Bru commercials are a lot of fun. And, both the animation and the singing (to the tune of "Walking in the Air") were very on point. It's a lot of fun, and definitely worth watching around the holidays. 

       - Google Assist: Home Alone: yep, Google decided to advertise the Google Assist device by recreating the movie Home Alone. Macaulay Culkin returns as a grown up Kevin McAllister, who wakes up to see his parents are gone. But, Kevin asks Google Assist to check his calendar for the day, and it tells him he's got the house to himself. He uses Google Home to set a reminder to wash sheets, turn down the temperature in the house, and the door camera shows a Little Nero's Pizza delivery guy arrive with a pizza. Finally, while having dinner, a van pulls up, and Kevin asks Google Assist to begin "Operation: Kevin," where the van drivers, which can be assumed to be the Wet Bandits, see the shadows of mannequins and a Draymond Green cutout (nice), and drive off. Honestly, of all the Holiday classics to recreate for a Christmas commercial, Google choosing Home Alone is pretty clever. And, to have an adult Macaulay Culkin reprise his most iconic role from his childhood is a big bonus. It's fun, and definitely worth the watch. 

          - Apple: Frankenstein's Holiday: Okay, so this 2016 and left a lot of people scratching their heads. It opens with someone recording the song "No Place Like Home for the Holidays" on their phone, and going outside to collect a package. And, it turns out to be the Frankenstein monster. Hmm. Anyway, so the Frankenstein monster heads to town and puts a pair of Christmas lights into his bolts, pulls out his phone, and sings along to the recorded tune. Hmm. Unfortunately, a bulb goes out, but a little girl fixes it, and joins him in singing, and they are joined by everyone in town, which puts a teary smile on the Frankenstein monster's face. Hmm. Okay, so, definitely an odd commercial, but a great performance by Brad Garrett as the Frankenstein monster. And, I guess a message about how the Christmas holiday brings us all together. Still, odd but memorable. 

         - Xfinity: E.T. The Holiday Reunion: so, this commercial, which was produced with the blessings of Steven Spielberg, starts off with a brother and sister playing, only to meet E.T. for the first time. Initially startled, E.T. looks at the boy and says "Elliot?" But, the real Elliot, now a grown man, sees E.T. and rushes over to him in excitement, and he remarks "You came back." Elliot introduces E.T. to his wife and children, and the five spend the Christmas holiday together. E.T. then shows Elliott a hologram of his own family, and Elliot realizes it's time for E.T. to return home. Elliot's children go with E.T. on their bikes, in a stellar recreation of the iconic flying bicycle sequence from the original E.T. movie, and Elliot and his wife meet E.T. and the children in the forest, where E.T. tells Elliot's son "I'll be right here," while pointing at the boy's heart. E.T. boards the spaceship and flies away. Okay, so to see Henry Thomas as a grown-up Elliot, who now has a family of his own, was awesome, and it really helped define this commercial. Add to that the improved puppetry effects for E.T. and you have a really fun Christmas commercial. 

          Folger's: Siblings Holiday Reunion: definitely one of the more infamous Christmas commercials out there, we see a man return home from traveling the world, and he is greeted by his sister. She makes him coffee, he gives her a gift, and she puts the bow on him and says "You're my present this year." And, yeah. This one has been analyzed and satirized quite a bit. Yes, they make it clear at the beginning that we're seeing a brother and sister, but the body language suggests something different, and many have found this commercial to be a bit odd as a result. Certainly unusual, but still a unique one to watch for the holiday season. 

         Barnes & Noble: Baby, It's Cold Outside w/ Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: another simple commercial, we see Lady Gaga enter a Barnes & Noble store at Christmas time, and she walks down the aisle of books singing the Christmas jingle "Baby, It's Cold Outside" along with Tony Bennett, who is in the next aisle But, it's when the two are face-to-face, that a surprised Lady Gaga gives Tony Bennett a warm hug, and the two finish out the song. At the time, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett were touring together to promote an album they recorded together, and how perfect that Barnes & Noble would have them further capitalize on their collaboration with a genuinely fun commercial that's a favorite of mine at Christmas. 

          Sainsbury's: Christmas Eve 1914: this ten-year-old Christmas commercial by Sainsbury's marked the hundredth anniversary of the Christmas Eve ceasefire of World War I. British and German troops, deep in the trenches, hear each other sing their own renditions of "Silent Night," and it's decided to halt hostilities in commemoration of the Christmas holiday. Two soldiers, Jim and Otto, meet up, introduce themselves, and share pictures. After the sharing of the Christmas holiday, the two sides return to their respective trenches, Jim and Otto say their farewells, and Otto finds a chocolate bar from Jim in his coat pocket. This is, without a doubt, the most moving Christmas commercial I've ever seen. And, the fact that Sainsbury's worked directly with the Royal British Legion to get the exact details completely accurate made it all the better. Genuinely moving, and a Christmas commercial I highly recommend. 

        Well, there you have it. Now, a few things to keep in mind. First, there are far too many Christmas commercials to count, the ones I discussed were just a small handful that I personally like. Second, not all of these will be airing on television this holiday season, but they are available to watch on YouTube, and I highly recommend checking them out. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and 12 Reviews of Christmas continues tomorrow with A Fairly Odd Christmas.