The Christmas Ads Have Landed: My Completely Unqualified 2026 Ranking

The Christmas adverts are here. It is 7 November 2026, and I have already watched more festive commercials than is medically advisable. My sofa is covered in biscuit crumbs, the kettle has been on four times, and I have developed strong opinions about fictional snowmen.

This is not an industry analysis. I am not going to talk about media spend or target demographics. I am a person with a remote control and a low tolerance for manipulation. I am judging these adverts on three things: storytelling, emotional manipulation, and whether they actually made me want to buy anything. Spoiler: I bought nothing. I did, however, cry once. We will get to that.

How I judged them

Storytelling: did I care about the characters? Emotional manipulation: did the ad try to make me cry using a piano and a child, and did it work? The buying test: did I feel a sudden urge to visit a shop, or did I just feel slightly tired? I have ranked these from least to most likely to make me sob.

The ranking

6. Very — The One With the Celebrity Cameo

Very has gone for gloss. There is a famous person, a big house, and a snow machine that must have cost more than my first car. The story is simple: someone comes home for Christmas. That is it. It is fine. It is the advert equivalent of a nice biscuit. I felt nothing, and I did not buy a sofa. I did wonder who irons the tablecloth in that house, but that is not a review category.

5. Tesco — The One With the Office Party

Tesco has gone for the we are all a bit rubbish at Christmas angle. There is an office party, a burnt turkey, and someone crying in a car park. It is relatable, but it also made me want to lie down. The message seems to be that Christmas is chaotic and we should all be kinder to each other. Fine. I agree. But I did not need a supermarket to tell me that while a saxophone played in the background. I bought nothing. I did add Baileys to my mental shopping list, so maybe that is a win.

4. John Lewis — The One With the Sad Piano

John Lewis is the benchmark, so it feels rebellious to put it fourth. This year's effort is about a little girl and a lost something. The piano is doing a lot of heavy lifting. The girl has a good coat. There is a moment near the end that is designed to make you go oh. I did not cry, but I did check my bank balance. It is beautifully made, and I understand why people love it. But it felt a bit like a film trailer for a film that never arrives. I wanted more story and less slow motion. I did not buy anything, mostly because the advert does not actually tell you what to buy.

3. Aldi — The One With Kevin the Carrot

Aldi knows exactly what it is doing. Kevin is back, there is a ridiculous plot, and a parsnip says something cheeky. It should not work. It works because it does not take itself seriously. It is the only advert that made me smile without feeling like I had been tricked. I bought carrots. That counts. I also explained the plot to my cat, who was not interested. Still, top marks for silliness.

2. M&S — The One With the Sisters

M&S has gone for family drama. Two sisters, one Christmas, a lot of cashmere. There is a disagreement about something that happened years ago, and then a hug. It is beautifully shot. I wanted the coat. I did not want to have a difficult conversation with a sibling. The advert is trying to say that Christmas is about family, which is true, but also it is about buying a very nice coat. I respect the hustle. I did not cry, but I did consider my own family group chat and felt tired.

1. Sainsbury's — The One That Made Me Cry

Here it is. The one. Sainsbury's has made an advert about a grandad teaching his granddaughter to make a Christmas pudding. There is no big celebrity. There is no dancing. There is just a kitchen, a wooden spoon, and a radio playing something gentle. The grandad forgets the recipe. The granddaughter helps. They laugh. Then there is a moment where you realise this is a memory, not just a cooking lesson.

I cried. Not a single elegant tear. A proper ugly cry, into a mince pie. My partner asked if I was okay. I said it was allergies. In November. Why did it work? Because it was small. It did not try to sell me a lifestyle. It sold me a memory. It also made me want to ring my nan, which is a better result than making me want to buy a scented candle.

Did it make me want to buy anything? Yes. A pudding basin. I did not buy one, because I am a person of principle and also I already have one. But I thought about it. That is the highest honour I can give a Christmas advert.

The one that deserves the hype

Everyone will talk about John Lewis. Everyone will talk about Kevin. But the one that deserves the hype is the quiet one. Sainsbury's understood that Christmas adverts have become a genre of their own, and instead of trying to out-spectacle everyone, it told a small story well. It is not trying to be a short film. It is trying to be a reminder. That is harder than it looks.

What I actually bought

Nothing. I bought nothing. But I did write a list of things I might buy, which is basically the same as shopping. I also ate a mince pie at 11am, which is not a review category but felt relevant.

Final thoughts

Christmas adverts are weird. They are adverts, but we review them like films. We expect them to make us feel something, but we also resent them for trying. The best ones, for me, are the ones that do not push too hard. A bit of warmth. A bit of humour. A nice kitchen. Maybe a carrot. That is all I need.

So that is my 2026 ranking. It is completely unqualified, entirely personal, and probably wrong. But I did cry, and I did not buy a sofa. I am calling that a successful Christmas advert season.