The Christmas ad that isn’t trying to sell you anything

With the festive period just around the corner, heartwarming Christmas adverts are being created and shared everywhere. Everyone from John Lewis & Partners to Coca Cola embraces our desire for a wholesome, tear-jerker of an advert and delivers to encourage consumers to make lavish purchases. It’s no secret that even the most cynical of people enjoy a sad yet life-affirming tale which makes them feel like they have a purpose, and Phil Beastall has achieved this perfectly.

‘Love is a gift’ Christmas advert

In 2014 he released his first video, simply titled ‘Love is a gift’, which was overwhelmingly popular. A young man is avidly counting down to Christmas, ticking each day off on his calendar. For most of us, this countdown is common. The food, presents and time off work are all welcome Christmas time features which we look forward to during the year. However, the young man is counting down for a much more sentimental reason. On Christmas morning he sits downstairs and begins listening to a tape. The tape reveals his mum has passed away, leaving a series of recordings which are marked to be listened to on Christmas day. There are several tapes in the box but this will be his last one. As the video concludes, words flash on the screen reading “love is a gift that lasts forever, Merry Christmas.” In the bustling hub of our current consumer society where Christmas is all about spending excessive money, this simple message stands out from the crowd. Not only is the message unique, but the short film was made with just £50. In comparison to the millions which are usually dropped on Christmas ads, this is a considerable difference, and as thousands of people agree, it doesn’t need a big budget to stand out from the competition. Click here to watch it. Lovers of the advert took to twitter to share their feelings.

Phil himself took to Twitter to comment: “Two fantastic actors who had previously met, which meant they had a chemistry before we’d even started. It’s these nuances that turned my Xmas film into something credible. Give your actors a chance to breathe and they’ll better flex their creative muscles.”