"Christmas is for Sharing"

12 November 2014

3 mins 20s

The spirit of Christmas

There has long been a rumour that Sainsbury's Christmas commercial was going to be a bit special... and when it was shown for the first time - halfway through Coronation Street - it didn't disappoint.

The supermarket backed AMV to the hilt and they, in turn, provided director Ringan Ledwidge with the canvas and the tools to create a masterpiece. He has rewarded their faith with a truly stupendous piece of work.

The story of a brief, improvised armistice on Christmas Day 1914 is one that many of us have grown up with; and even if its scope has been exaggerated, its meaning has not. At some point along the frontier formed by the opposing trenches, the lions fighting at the behest of their respective donkeys briefly demonstrated that the conflict wasn't rooted in any meaningful enmity. The idea that they had more in common with each other than they did with their commanding officers possesses a heart-wrenching resonance and Ledwidge's film captures it with absolute perfection.

Despite the familiarity of the tale, this commercial generates real tension as the first soldier rises from his trench on Christmas Day in an effort to further the bond created by carol singing the previous night. The camaraderie that follows exhibits a spirit that could have brought the war to an immediate end, and this adds hugely to the poignancy provoked by the realisation that their brief amnesty instead is brought to an end by distant gunfire.

Sainsbury's is not having a very good time of it at the moment and it was bold of them to back this initiative when they might have concentrated instead on letting us know about discounts, nectar points and the like.

But they did it because their commitment to The Royal British Legion is genuine - the reason we haven't seen this commercial until today is down to Sainsbury's strongly held belief that Christmas advertising should not be allowed to distract from the solemnity of Armistice Day.

There's a phrase we often use when we want to praise people for their fantastic work but it's seldom been as apt as it is here... Sainsbury's, AMV, Ringan Lewidge and everyone else involved in making this commercial - we salute you.

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