How this year’s Christmas ads ‘let real life in,’ from cost of living to masculinity

The John Lewis Christmas advert - seen by many as marking the start of the festive season - was beamed into our homes on Tuesday.

Set to Alison Limerick's 1990s track Where Love Lives, reimagined by British artist Labrinth, it's the first time the retailer has centred an ad around a father-son relationship.

The ad depicts a teenage boy, who struggles to express his emotions for his dad, using music as a way to connect with him.

We see the dad discovering an unopened Christmas present with his name on it - a vinyl record of Where Love Lives - which he immediately puts on.

As the song fills the room, he's transported back to a 90s club, dancing with his friends, before seeing flashbacks of his son as a baby.

Other retailers appear to have nodded to the cost of living.

The Asda advert, set to the song Let it Snow, follows The Grinch reluctantly doing his festive shop.

But the green cynic changes his tune once he's wowed by some of the low price products on offer.

For Dr Wallace, the ad sends a message that "an affordable Christmas" is possible, by "placating the cash-strapped 'Grinch' that threatens to spoil everyone's Christmas".

This message is echoed in Lidl's Christmas advert, which focuses on generosity and small acts of kindness rather than abundance and excess.

The ad also has a real-world action point, by pointing viewers towards Lidl's Toy Bank scheme.

According to Lidl, the nationwide scheme has seen over 250,000 gifts donated since launch.

The theme of community and affordable, practical cheer, is also present in the M&S food advert.

The ad sees the return of Dawn French as a festive fairy, and she also appears as herself.

We see the actress and comedian stuck in gridlocked traffic, but with a wave of the fairy's wand, a delivery truck is converted into a Christmas party.

The festive snacks served at the party are modest and a far cry from the tables of food that we've seen in past adverts.

But not all of the retailers have toned it down this year.

Beauty retailer Sephora's advert stars none other than Mariah Carey as an angel.

She later transforms into a Santa Claus bodysuit, and takes off in a sleigh filled with bags of shiny gifts.

Experts say that as a whole, this year's adverts are reflecting the fact many shoppers will be worrying about costs this Christmas.

“Value framing is part of the campaign this year,” said Shuttleworth. “And of course that’s relevant this Christmas.”

"We're seeing themes that reflect the world as we actually live it," agrees Hardcastle.

"Audiences don't want fantasy; they want recognition. It's proof that even at Christmas, the stories that move us most are the ones that see us."

Elsewhere, a number of retailers have gone for fictional characters. Again, this is being seen as a deliberate move given the economic backdrop.

"If you're struggling and someone's showing you a glossy life on screen, it's not going to make you feel particularly great," Hardcastle said.

In the Aldi advert, its mascot Kevin the Carrot is back. This time, he is set to pull our heart strings as he pops the question to his beloved Katie the Carrot.

Not to be outdone, Sainsbury's advert also features a famous animated character - Roald Dahl's beloved Big Friendly Giant.

And Argos has also gone for the same characters as last year - cartoon duo Connie the doll and Trevor the dinosaur - who are joined this year by Inbetweeners star Simon Bird.