The Christmas ads of 2025 feel refreshingly real, not your cookie-cutter sparkle-fests.
Across APAC, brands are ditching the glitz for stories that hit home amid economic squeezes and evolving families, like Jollibee's warm take on modern Pinoy kinships or McDonald's Australia's hilarious Grinch crashing sunny BBQs.
Forget celeb sleigh rides. Think Telstra's goth teen bonding with a ghost over 90s jams, Shopee's starry Pinoy reunion belting holiday hits, or Coles' antlered Basset Hound sniffing out every laid-back Aussie feast.
Even global festive campaigns like Disney's doodle magic, Apple's puppet pals, and Lego's Minifigure choir feel fresh, while Coca-Cola's AI push sparks debate and Aldi's carrot romcom endures. In a world craving real connection over excess, these feel like chats with old mates, not hard sells.
Here’s a look at the standout Christmas campaigns in 2025.
Campaign: Buo ang Saya ng Pasko
Brand: Jollibee
Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore
Jollibee’s new Christmas ad tugs at the heartstrings with a beautiful nod to how Filipino families look today, from big lola-led gatherings to the tight-knit 'families' of night-shift nurses, office mates sharing midnight snacks, or even folks whose best pals are their furry pets. It weaves these real-life stories through simple, touching scenes with everyday people, kept light by a soft original tune that never gets too sappy. Smartly, it updates Jollibee’s classic 'family is Christmas' vibe to embrace modern life, think overseas workers, odd hours, and chosen kin, while keeping the brand as that comforting holiday hug.
Campaign: I'm ruinin' it
Brand: McDonald’s Australia
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Sydney
McDonald’s Australia’s cheeky Christmas campaign pairs the Grinch with sunny 'Australiaville' families, where he schemes to sabotage their holiday cheer, starting with twisted Macca’s meals like a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets bundled with green-popping Frozen Fanta Lemon, sand-filled collectible snow globes, and Grinchy packaging. In the campaign film 'I’m Ruinin’ It', his antics, from green arches to rewritten carols, backfire hilariously, amplifying the joy and ending with him embracing the summer festive vibe.
Campaign: True Love Waits
Brand: Heinz
Agency: BBDO Bangkok and BBDO Guerrero
Heinz’s Southeast Asia 2025 Christmas ad delivers a light-hearted family romp across South and Southeast Asia plus Hong Kong, crafted by BBDO Bangkok and BBDO Guerrero, where ketchup steals the spotlight in chaotic festive scenes, from drippy turkey disasters to snowball fights turned saucy, transforming everyday mishaps into joyful bonding moments.
Campaign: Together is for Christmas
Brand: Telstra
Agency: Bear Meets Eagle On Fire and +61
Telstra’s 2025 'Together is for Christmas' ad swaps holiday clichés for a touching animated story of a goth teen at odds with her festive family bonding with a lonely ghost in a snowy park, sharing 90s tunes like 'Believe' while she adds reindeer antlers to him. Created by Bear Meets Eagle On Fire and +61, it celebrates finding “your people” in modern Aussie suburbs, racking up over 5 million views.
Campaign: #Shopee10Pasko
Brand: Shopee
Agency: In-house
Shopee’s 10th Christmas campaign #Shopee10Pasko is a vibrant love letter to Filipino holiday spirit, reuniting stars Vice Ganda, Kim Chiu, and Jose Mari Chan in a lively, musical reunion that revives jingles, punchlines, and countdowns from past festive ads. As Southeast Asia’s top e-commerce platform marks a decade in the Philippines, the spot celebrates its evolution alongside Pinoy shopping habits, from payday splurges to 'ber months' gift hauls, embedding Shopee as a modern Christmas staple intertwined with communal generosity and family traditions.
Campaign: Every Kind of Christmas
Brand: Coles
Agency: Smith St
Coles’ 2025 festive campaign showcases Australia’s unique Christmas traditions by following a lovable Basset Hound in reindeer antlers through laid-back summer scenes like backyard barbecues, beachside lunches, and casual Friendsmas gatherings. The film positions the supermarket as the hub for 'every kind of Christmas' with affordable staples such as ham, prawns, pavlova, and Coles finest treats amid budget squeezes.
Campaign: Best Christmas Ever
Brand: Disney
Agency: Adam & Eve/DDB
Disney’s 'Best Christmas Ever' is a warm Christmas short about a young girl whose messy doodle magically comes to life after Santa mistakes it for a wish, turning it into her friend for the year. The silent doodle becomes a symbol of feeling unheard until, the next Christmas, she asks Santa for a Mr Potato Head and gives its mouth to her animated friend so he can finally speak. Directed by Taika Waititi, with John Goodman voicing the doodle, the film mixes simple, charming animation with a newly arranged version of 'You’ve Got a Friend in Me' from Toy Story, and closes with the 'Make Someone’s Holiday Magic' tagline to highlight how small acts of kindness transform the season.
Campaign: A Critter Carol
Brand: Apple
Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab
Shot on iPhone 17 Pro, Apple’s 2025 holiday stars nine handmade woodland puppets like a raccoon, bear, and squirrel who find a dropped phone in the snow and film a fun musical ode to friendship, parodying the song Friends by Flight of the Conchords with silly dances. Crafted in Prague with foam, fur, and mini sets for real puppeteers, it skips heavy VFX for tactile charm, ending with the phone in a twig heart and 'Friendship is a gift' tagline.
Campaign: Is it play you’re looking for?
Brand: Lego
Agency: Our Lego Agency
LEGO’s 2025 Christmas ad shows a boy glued to his phone until his Minifigures come alive as a choir, remixing Lionel Richie’s 'Hello' with fun lyrics, featuring stars like Darth Vader and Spider-Man to pull him into family playtime. He joins his sister to build a giant holiday creation, rediscovering joy and connection through bricks.
Campaign: What's on the cards for Kevin the Carrot this Christmas?
Brand: Aldi
Agency: McCann Manchester
Inspired by the movie Love Actually, Aldi’s 2025 Christmas campaign delivers a three-part romcom saga for mascot Kevin the Carrot, who proposes to Katie with a ring carried by their dog Caulidog, sparking a chaotic stag do that goes 'pear-shaped' before their big wedding day finale. Marking Kevin’s 10th anniversary, the ads blend cheeky puns, festive cheer, and heartfelt moments. Created by McCann Manchester, it cements Aldi’s festive tradition of turning carrots into cultural icons.
Campaign: Refresh Your Holidays
Brand: Coca-Cola
Agency: WPP Open X led by VML
Coca-Cola’s 2025 'Refresh Your Holidays' campaign mixes AI tech with holiday warmth, spotlighting 'A Holiday Memory', a mum finding Christmas magic in a snow globe and Coke, alongside AI-updated 'Holidays Are Coming' films for slick, global reach. Reactions were split on the use of AI: some love the efficiency, others hate the “soulless” glitches and lost nostalgia from last year.
Campaign: That’s What Makes It Christmas
Brand: Tesco
Agency: BBH London
Tesco’s campaign revels in festive chaos through 11 short films showing relatable British mishaps like Secret Santa woes, off-limits fridge treats, rowdy family games, and awkward neighbour chats. Created by BBH London and directed by Jeff Low, with John Bishop narrating over 'Holly Jolly Christmas', it reframes imperfections as holiday heart.
Campaign: ’Twas The Knight Before…
Brand: Burberry
Agency: In-house
Burberry’s “’Twas The Knight Before…” stars Jennifer Saunders as a host in a cosy London townhouse, greeting Naomi Campbell, Ncuti Gatwa, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Son Heung-min in stylish trenches and capes as they join a festive gathering. The ad blends British humour with party prep moments like canapés and carollers, highlighting gifting options such as scarves and fragrances, capturing elegant togetherness.
