Seconds out…round seven. Fret not you Scrooges and Grinches out there, there won’t be many more of these articles this year, although you will still see the ads wherever you turn until at least December 24th, when the Boxing Day sales will no doubt take over.
First up is that Christmas staple Lego. Those bricks may have caused more underfoot agony than most but this year the brand is offering a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes before they end up scattered all over your floor.
“The Lego Holiday Workshop” is a part-animated, part-live-action film directed by Oscar, Golden Globe and Bafta-nominated director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman, Better Man), through Partizan London and Loveboat. He even cameos in the film as his own minifigure.
Devised Lego’s in-house team and soundtracked by Daft Punk’s One More Time, the film follows a single 2×4 Lego brick on a journey through the Holiday Workshop, where the brick meets a cast of familiar faces from across the Lego universe as it passes through a series of departments, including heroes, vehicles and music, before landing inside a Lego gift bag.
The campaign was inspired by research from the Lego Group that found 24% of parents have bought a Lego set as a gift partly because it would bring them joy too. A further 19% confessed they have ended up buying a second set to keep one for themselves, and 11% admitted to finding it so hard to let go they ended up keeping the set altogether.
The campaign extends beyond The Lego Holiday Workshop into retail, with activations such as Pick A Brick and Build to Give, continuing in store. Flagship retail stores will also host immersive holiday workshops, designed by the commerce team, who had a desire to see “children’s faces squished against the glass with joy” this festive season.
For those of you after olfactory joy, Penhaligon’s has unveiled its “Gifts Bound for Greatness” campaign, inviting audiences on a festive journey inspired by the golden age of British rail travel.
Set within a bustling railway station waiting room, the film follows an eclectic cast of travellers whose delayed departure takes an unexpected turn. What begins as a rather ordinary wait soon transforms into an impromptu Christmas celebration, capturing the joy, spontaneity and occasional eccentricity of the festive season.
Bringing together Penhaligon’s British character with a sense of theatrical charm, the campaign celebrates the idea that the journey can be just as memorable as the destination.
The creative concept, devised in-house, extends into the brand’s seasonal gifting collection, with fragrances and festive treats presented in packaging inspired by vintage travel trunks, reinforcing the campaign’s nostalgic travel theme.
Award-winning music and sound agency Youth Mode was commissioned to create the original composition and sound design for the campaign, helping bring Penhaligon’s wonderfully festive world to life.
The result is a campaign that aims to embrace Penhaligon’s heritage while delivering a contemporary, characterful take on Christmas, reminding audiences that even the most unexpected detours can lead to something wonderful.
Over at TK Maxx, “Festive Crossing” brings back its 2023 “Festive Farm” with a cast of animals sporting and carrying a sparkling array of gifts, bringing the retailer’s “Spoil All Your Loved Ones For Less” platform to life for 2026.
Capitalising on the the previous activity, and blending familiar characters with a new storyline, the 30-second ad will run across video-on-demand, online video, and integrated digital channels, alongside an integrated rollout on TK Maxx’s social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
A 60-second version will run across YouTube and owned channels. The ad will then make its TV debut in high-profile, prime-time placements. Set to Goodies by Ciara, the ad has been created by Wieden+Kennedy London and directed by Gary Freedman.
It follows a number of farmyard characters, as the farmer and his wife make their way home from a TK Maxx shopping trip. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when they encounter a stylish family of ducks crossing the road, showing off their TK Maxx gifts. It soon becomes clear that word of TK Maxx’s designer gifts and amazing deals has spread well beyond their own farm.
TK Maxx group brand and marketing director Catrina Funk said: “Christmas is all about the joy of giving, and we know shoppers are thinking carefully about how they spend, looking for great deals and thoughtful, high-quality gifts.
“At TK Maxx, we want to show that you can make your Christmas budget go further without compromising on quality, making it possible to spoil the people you love with great gifts at amazing value.”
Finally, to The Salvation Army, where this is a time to help those in need of festive cheer. Its Christmas Appeal reveals that every 2 minutes someone in the UK loses their home, each person with their own story, and this is just one of them.
Based on a real story, the opening clip shows a man with a grey beard and his hood up, he is thinking. We see a montage of his memories, a boy in a Christmas jumper watching a Salvation Army brass band, decorating the Christmas tree with his mother smiling at him wearing a red paper hat.
Their family are pulling crackers and sitting around a table as the boy is now a young man. As the voiceover explains his mum passes away, we see a framed photo of him and his mother smiling. He’s then seen walking under a bridge with graffitied walls, he’s carrying his bags.
The man we now see is who we met at the beginning, he wears fingerless gloves and blows on his hands and sits in a bus shelter.
He then enters a Salvation Army building and a man, Alan, wearing a Salvation Army uniform opens a door to let him in. He opens a door to a bedroom, is seen pulling Christmas crackers around a table, laughing with others and smiling as someone serves him some food. He looks warm, content and happy as the video ends.
In a statement, The Salvation Army said: “In 600 communities across the country, The Salvation Army will be doing all we can for people in desperate need, whatever their circumstances. At a time when so many people are facing hardship, we want to make this Christmas a time of joy – a time to remember.
“£9 could contribute towards one-to-one support work for a homeless person in one of our centres. £19 could contribute towards a box of groceries and modest gifts so that families struggling in poverty can share a basic Christmas meal together. £45 could provide a Christmas dinner, a small gift and the promise of companionship for six lonely older or vulnerable people.
“This winter, your simple act of kindness can lead to something much bigger.”
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