Irish Examiner view: Some puzzling messages in this year's Christmas ads

Hannah Waddingham appearing in the Love Thismas, Not Thatmas, advertising campaign. Picture: Marks and Spencer/PA Wire

It’s always worth wondering what big retail companies, and their image-makers, are trying to tell us about ourselves when the latest crop of Christmas advertisements reaches our screens. This year we are receiving very mixed messages.

Most of these 90-second campaigns emerged from creative teams midsummer in what has been a confusing, tense, and worrying year. Soaring inflation; insecurity in the housing market; energy charges beyond the reach of many; conflicts in Ukraine, and now in Palestine.