Christmas Party: Commercials we actually LIKE

We stand now, friends, upon the true beginning of the Christmas season. We’ve only one page left in our November page-a-day calendars, Santa is making a list, and television stations have been showing Christmas-related advertising since Halloween — except now we’ve reached the point where I look forward to it instead of finding it irritating. Some people hate commercials, but not me. A good commercial can be just as entertaining as any short film or cartoon, and I’ll admit it, if I like a commercial I’m more likely to seek out the product or service advertised therein. A good commercial that does its job will sell to me. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The best thing about commercialization at Christmas is that there are some ads we look forward to seeing every year. Let’s look for a moment at some of the classic commercials of Christmases Past…

Who can forget the classic Hershey Kisses “Bell” commercial?

Or the time Red and Yellow, our favorite M&Ms, met Santa Claus?

Then there was the time Barney Rubble decided to dress up as Santa Claus to try to get his hands on Fred’s Pebbles Cereal. This was back in those dark days when people were allowed to market children’s cereals to — y’know — children.

Coca-Cola has practically turned Christmas into a cottage industry, with classic advertising bits like the trucks…

And, of course, their polar bears and penguins…

And as Erin taught me, in the Pittsburgh area it just isn’t Christmas until you see this sweet, simple commercial from Eat ‘n Park:

Then a year or two ago, Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart began to run this joint musical ad which, I’ll admit, I find pretty damn catchy.

Of course, not every Christmas commercial is great. If I never hear that painful Old Navy rap from last year again, I’ll be blissfully happy. And there are some commercials that are just plain scary — for example anything featuring the Burger King…

Or the absolutely terrifying ad Snickers showed this Halloween…

Now, has the Christmas season yet created anything so disturbing? No. But I fear they’re taking steps in this direction. For example, the new ad Planters is showing this year, featuring a fancier, stop motion Mr. Peanut voiced by Iron Man himself, Robert Downey, Jr…

If you’re not sure just why this commercial is disturbing, I want you to put this into perspective: Mr. Peanut’s party has been invaded by a Nutcracker. A Nutcracker that has previously attempted to crack his shell, and clearly intends to do so again. And yet, it’s all good. Let him walk in. This is the equivalent of calling up a starving vampire that tried to bite you last week and asking him if he wants to come down for the skin cutting party you’re holding for all your Goth friends. This is a bad idea.

So I make this plea to the advertising industry. This Christmas, more ads like this one:

And less that give us the screaming heebie-jeebies.

Thank you.

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