'Oh I wish it could be Christmas, every day…' Frankly, it can be, because the Christmas advertising has started on TV and unless you channel your inner rock star and throw the box out of the window, there's no escaping it. TV editor Stacia Briggs reviews the festive ads.
Lidl is aware that there lurk in our midst those who are prone to go both Hatter and March Hare mad during the festive season, scaling ever-more crazy heights in their bid to have the most Christmassy Christmas ever in the history of Christmas.
Sky-high expectations, crazy scheduling, never-ending lists, hysterical children, packed shops, dark days and cold nights, the desire for PERFECTION: it's enough to send us all into a tail-spin and hanging on to a thread of sanity by one fingernail. Or is that just me?
Anyway, Lidl is here to offer us sporadic 20-second bursts of comedy to remind us that We Are Not Alone.
Lidl: Upgrade your Christmas (a series of 20 second advertisements, starting with Gin and Tonic, Turkey and Party Food)
* What happens? We meet a range of people who have decided to 'upgrade' their Christmas by buying something super from Lidl but, in their dedication to Christmassing the heck out of everything, haven't stopped there. There's a cu-de-sac which has been transformed into an ice rink, a 16-piece orchestra in a dining room, a giant Christmas tree that fills a whole room, imported Arctic snow from the North Pole and reindeer grazing amongst Christmas visitors. I now have entirely new #xmasgoals and will be augmenting my festive offering with a selection of penguins, reindeer and the London Philharmonic.
* Are the adverts actually funny? Actually, yes. I laughed out loud at the imported snow one and I have a terrible cold and am full of misgivings to all mankind.
* Actual product shots? Lidl doesn't muck about: you get the product shot AND the price.
* Do you really need to spend money to have a good time at Christmas? No. But I have to admit, it helps.
* Conclusion: A big thumbs up to Lidl, which has created a genuinely amusing campaign which will offer some much-needed levity during the most expensive wonderful time of the year.
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