Christmas ads jingle all the way
“May you have joy, comfort and peace … ”
This catchy Christmas-commercial tune comes from one of those retailers whose end has been heralded for what seems an eternity now: J.C. Penney, which drew from its own initials for the song’s creation. “Providing inspiration to our customers, the campaign highlights the simple joys of creating special moments with family and friends, all while relying on J.C. Penney for everything needed to make the season bright,” according to a post at companyblog.jcpnewsroom.com.
The song, which lends itself to multiple J.C. Penney commercials, has me seat-dancing every time I hear it. I’m already hoping they’ll bring the song back for Christmas 2022.
Watching Christmas-season TV is like watching the Superbowl: I’m in it for the commercials just about as much as I’m in it for the main event. For someone who gave up Christmas decorating some years ago, the TV Christmas ads now serve as garland, tinsel and ornaments.
“What makes a great Christmas ad?” asks a blog post at biteable.com. “They evoke an emotional reaction … They communicate something about the brand’s values … They capture the brand’s voice and identity … They end with a call to action (usually)” or “simply wish the viewer a ‘Merry Christmas from X brand.’”
And they cause us to sing along, dance along and treasure them, even without realizing we’re doing so.
Take the old animated commercial in which Santa Claus rode that Norelco shaver over the snowy hills.
“Beginning in 1961 and running three decades, the good people at Norelco sent forth their Christmas cheer and their lineup of products for potential gift purchases via a clever commercial featuring Santa Claus,” reads a blog at cinema-crazed.com. “Santa’s vehicle was an oversized top of a Norelco electric razor that doubled as a sled. The fact that the considerably hirsute Santa probably never owned a razor was beside the point — he was in the business of giving and not receiving.”
The blog post is right: Santa didn’t even go out and spring for a Norelco shaver for himself. But, looking back, I realize I always perked up at the sight of that ad. It was among a number of mini versions of such beloved holiday classics as “Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Frosty the Snowman” (debuting 1964, 1965 and 1969, respectively) … not to mention “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946). I can’t be
the only non-beer drinker who enjoyed seeing the Budweiser Clydesdales pulling that tree on the sled, or thinking longingly of a Caribbean vacay when seeing the Corona Extra Christmas commercial with the little hut in the tropics and a whistling-caroler soundtrack.
The Corona commercial (back for Christmas 2021) has made at least one online list of the five longest-running commercials, Christmas or otherwise. So has Campbell’s Soup’s 1993 “Let It Snow” commercial featuring the snowman who comes in from the cold, sits down to soup and melts to reveal a young boy underneath; the Hershey’s Kisses “Christmas Bells” commercial (1989; I believe I may have spotted it this season) and the M&M’s “They do exist” commercial from 1996 (definitely spotted).
As is also the case with the Superbowl ads, not all Christmas commercials are beloved. Peloton didn’t attempt to bring back its much-hated 2019 scenario in which the already-reed-thin wife gets the bike from her husband for Christmas and commits to riding it every day for a year. (Instead, Peloton has come up with Ebenezer Scrooge, pedaling his way to a new lease on life.) And there are a handful of Christmas commercials, including several from Arkansas companies, that have evoked an eye-roll from Yours Truly along with an “Are they eeeeever going to come up with something new?”
But hey. If a Norelco-riding Santa whose debut just predates my appearance on this earth can hang around as long as it did, I guess there’s no reason for purveyors of today’s Christmas commercials (no matter how hokey) not to believe that their ads might still be fondly recalled when warp speed is actually invented.
And, it’s Christmas. Time for us all to kick all the hating and negativity to the curb at least for a minute, remember the reason for the season, and not be so jaded that we can’t embrace a bit of hokeyness. Remember, ’tis the time of the looks-challenged Christmas sweaters and whole families in plaid pajamas!
Now excuse me while I wait for the next chance to sing along with that Branson tourism commercial blasting Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” … and wish they’d bring back Coca-Cola’s singing Christmas tree.