Don’t be so scrooge…

David Jason is merrily by the fire whilst Graham Norton gleefully plays the piano; let the BBC Christmas advert begin… oh, and the torrent of abuse that undoubtedly comes with it.

If you were one of those people who took straight to their Facebook to share their feelings with the world, one quick question, why? When did it suddenly become ‘cool’ to hate Christmas? There’s only one Jim Carrey, my friend, and you are not him. For God’s sake, get off your Grinch sleigh and de-greenify yourself.

For me, Christmas starts with the adverts; it’s only truly acceptable to start partaking in the holiday when you’ve witnessed a small child running through the dark towards a big red Coca-Cola Christmas van. Coca-Cola showed the world what a powerful instrument Christmas adverts could be, when they managed to establish the image of Santa as a tubby man, with a white beard and wearing a glorious red coat, in 1931. And henceforth the Christmas advert phenomenon began. A sparkling new television ad, a bit of a catchy jingle, maybe a couple of celebrities and lots and lots of red decorations, are what companies now use to attempt to influence our consumerist culture. And whilst this image might make some of you squirm in your reptilian skins, can’t you pause for a second to ask yourself… when did you get so boring?

These adverts are produced to be enjoyed, not to be likened to political propaganda. In fact, I believe I have heard more people moan about Christmas adverts in the last few weeks than that bitchy racist who was filmed on the tram. Yes, they are adverts produced specifically to pray on those, like me, who love Christmas, but where is the harm in that?

The John Lewis advert is by far one of the most talked about of the year. It made Jack Whitehall shed a tear while others, like Charlie Brooker, imagined disturbing images of a small boy carrying his dead dog’s head. For those who are slightly out of the loop, the advert stars a small angelic boy who feels Christmas can’t come soon enough because he wants to give his parents their present. What makes this advert so sweet is the fact that it homes in on a child’s good nature and excitement for Christmas – something that makes us all slightly nostalgic. So why is it receiving such abuse? Can’t we just enjoy the cuteness and move on? For many, the problem is the fact that this small story is an advert. So? John Lewis are hardly force feeding you their clothes or electrical items. I’ll admit, the adverts become slightly annoying when the companies obviously promote their products – such as in this year’s Littlewoods beauty – but still, what harm does it really do? It doesn’t make you jump off your sofa and scream, “TO LITTLEWOODS!”; it’s just a bit of Christmas joy. Everywhere we go, we see adverts featuring at least something Christmasy, but it’s the television adverts that receive the most abuse. I don’t see anyone’s status stating, “Oh god, the Bread Oven are doing another Christmas baguette, why all the hype?”

I don’t quite understand why the BBC advert is by far the most ‘hated’. There’s a cheery song, a variety of Christmas jumpers and it’s packed with popular BBC celebrities. Why is this such a crime? The advert is merry and carefree – oh yeah, incorporating that little thing called the Christmas spirit. Yes, the BBC are using Christmas to promote their winter schedule, but who doesn’t love watching Christmas TV?

So, to all of you wannabe Charlie Brookers or Dickens-esque Scrooges out there, slap a smile on your face and please, stop taking the world so seriously. No matter how much you complain, these adverts are going to keep running for years. And you know why? Because it’s all part and parcel of the Christmas package.