There are some advertising campaigns that transcend time and live in our holiday-associated memories for, like, ever. They bring us back to the good old days, when Christmas shopping didn't stress us out to the point of hair loss and Thanksgiving dinner just wasn't our problem. For laughs (like the Target Two-Day Sale ad above, love her) or for that warm, fuzzy feeling we associate with the season, these little gems truly deliver.
So as you tactically plan your next mall mission or click your way through the Internet retail-verse, take a moment to look back on some of the best holiday commercials we've ever seen. Oh, and one involving dirty Mrs. Claus, a snowman and...well, you'll see.
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9. Peter Comes Home for Christmas Folgers For starters, this commercial has to be up there as one of the longest running commercials of all time and even once they pulled it, they recycled the idea again (see below.) But there's something sweet about this vintage ad that not only makes us want a cup of Joe, but also puts us in the true spirit of the season.
(And again...)
8. Can't Wait For Christmas Jason Lewis The combination of music and adorable child acting in this one makes us want to cry and grin simultaneously. We've all felt his impatience as we wait for the big day, but in a touching turn of events, he also serves to remind us that the holidays are about supposed to be about giving. We hear you little guy, we hear you.
7. Enjoy the Lites Miller Lite Epic lights + epic music = one awesome Christmas commercial good for a solid 30 seconds of holiday-themed entertainment.
6. Learning to Ice Skate Ronald McDonald Back to the classics with this commercial featuring none other than Mr. Golden Arches himself. It's sweet and innocent enough to make us feel less guilty about the Big Mac and fries we'll noshing on as we road trip to and from the relatives' houses -- almost.
5. Are You Ready For the Two-Day Sale? Target After watching this commercial we started to second guess our preparedness for the holiday shopping season. Everything from the all-red tracksuit to her cherry red heels have us laughing at these 2010 ads.
4. Melting Snowboy Campbell's For over a decade we've been seeing that brilliant smile at the end of this commercial and even though I think we've all come to realize Campbell's Chicken Noodle is like, the lamest soup on the planet, this commercial continues to bring out the little kid in us all.
3. He Is Real! M&Ms "He is real!" "They are real!" FAINT. So simple, but the collision of the animated M&Ms and Santa Claus is probably one of the commercials we won't get sick of any time soon.
2. Feliz Navidad Corona Another simple and memorable ad that proves it doesn't take much to hit a holiday home run. Also, you don't have to be selling an inherently holiday-related product. When it's cold outside -- or if you live in the desert -- why not crack open a Corona for Christmas?
1. The Bells Hershey's Kisses Animation used perfectly to capture the holiday spirit and our attention. With so many chocolate options in the world, many of which are much better than Hershey's, we come back to the company for the familiarity embodied by this commercial. In under a minute they remind us of all the childhood memories we have to unwrapping those bite-sized pieces of joy.
Aaaand...The Worst Holiday Ad Ever: Naughty Mrs. Claus Boost Mobile Nobody in the world wants to hear or have mental images of Mrs Clause's needs in the sack and it's certainly not going to have us looking to buy your product. How desperate do you have to be to sell if you're using animated snowmen in bed with Santa's wife? And then you turn her into a snowman murderer to top it all off. Shame on you Boost Mobile, shame.
