Now that Halloween has been and gone and we’re saying our final goodbyes to Bonfire Night, it’s about time we turned our attention to the big day. That’s right, we’re talking about Christmas.

There are, of course, many things to get excited about in the build-up to December 25, and one of those has to be the Christmas advert reveals. Because whether or not you choose to publicly admit it, there’s no denying that we’re all a bit of a sucker for a good Christmas advert.

Last year was a stellar one in this regard: from the heartwarming tales of two bears for Heathrow Airport to that iconic plug appearance by the little boy in last year’s Sainsburys ad, 2018 did not disappoint.

And, as far as the first couple of adverts go, 2019 is shaping up to be a great year to. We’ve already had a good cry at Asda’s beautiful advert (warning: get yourself some tissues before you give this one a watch), and now we’ve got another heartwarming clip to add to our collection from Barbour.

For 2019, the British heritage brand has unveiled a Christmas campaign inspired by Raymond Briggs’ beloved children’s book Father Christmas. The advert, which is titled Thanks Mrs C, follows Briggs’ Father Christmas through the decades as he travels around the world delivering presents. 

The two-minute clip begins with Father Christmas explaining how his classic red coat has become worn from its use across the years. However, this hasn’t gone unnoticed by Mrs Christmas; as Father Christmas unwraps a present from his wife under the tree, he finds an iconic green wax Barbour jacket.

The advert then goes on to follow Father Christmas as he goes through the years delivering presents on Christmas Eve – catching up him in the 30s, 60s and finally, 2019. All the time, he’s still wearing his Barbour jacket.

It’s the classic animation style and feel-good moments which make this advert so special: across the years we see Father Christmas stumbling with his presents and spilling the milk which has been left over for the reindeer.

“You would not believe what we’ve been through. Ah, if only this jacket could talk,” he says at one point to his dog (who, of course, has a dog-sized barbour jacket of his own).

As the advert comes to a close, we see a content Father Christmas sitting down to enjoy a cup of tea. Sitting back in his chair with his dog and cat by his side, he looks at a photograph of Mrs Christmas and thanks her for the coat which has lasted him an impressive 125 years.

The advert, which celebrates Barbour’s 125th anniversary, retains the charm of the original animated 1991 film – probably because it was animated by the same man, Dave Urwin.

It’s a nostalgic and heartwarming advert with a cute message – just what we need as we begin the countdown to Christmas. 

Image: Barbour