"Merry Birthday"

4 December 2025

2 mins

Santa casts a shadow.

The girl in this wonderful commercial for Publix reckons Fate has dealt her a cruel hand. Why? Because she was born on Christmas Day. From the moment she spots a Santa Claus balloon in the maternity ward, Isabelle has a beef with the big man from the North Pole. December 25th is never her day, and the run-up makes it even worse.

Every year is the same: neighbours put up decorations like an inflatable Santa that becomes her arch-nemesis; every television channel has a live-action or animated Kris Kringle that mocks her with his laughter; and her birthday party is only ever a festive family affair (her friends get honest-to-God themes like a fairy tale or the Wild West). As far as Isabelle's concerned, she's overdue a dinosaur bash.

This all goes into a letter to Santa himself, who strikes back the only way he knows how: with kindness, ingenuity, and the help of the advertised supermarket chain. The utter joy that radiates from Isabelle as the worst day of the year becomes the best at long last is knockout stuff, and it should earn director Seb Edwards and his team props from all December babies.

USA

Supermarkets