Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be taken to seriously and please don’t start talking politics in the comments. Thank you.

Has anybody else noticed a recurring theme in Christmas adverts this year? I have seen more than one advert this year that focusses on giving a gift that will help somebody to shape their future.

I was trying to work out why I was seeing this come up again and again, and then my sleep deprived brain said…is it Brexit? Has that miserable word which is overwhelming the media at the moment permeated the last remaining strings of British happiness?

Now while I realise that Christmas adverts are probably not some kind of subliminal Brexit messaging (I’m not delirious and delusional all the time) my brain spiralled deep into the rabbit hole and I would love to hear some of your thoughts on a few things.

“The Gift For The Future” Trend

As a result of the big bad B word, a lot of things in Britain’s future are currently fairly uncertain (at least for people like me who don’t have the understanding of politics and economies or the emotional capacity to try and keep up with what Theresa May is up to). Is this why “gifts for the future” is a running trend this year? Are the advertisers trying to subliminally tell us that we should be preparing for a future where we fend for ourselves?

What I’m saying is…why this theme about the future? Why now? Is it because so much of our attention is being forced onto what may or may not happen in the future that people are forgetting to live in the moment? I’m afraid I have more questions than answers, but once your mind starts whirring sometimes it’s difficult to make it stop. Is it trying to tell us that our new Brexitted life starts here? Is it propaganda to convince us that a better life where we suddenly all achieve greatness is just round the corner?

Irn Bru Part Two

In Scotland, the Irn Bru Christmas advert has become an iconic marker that Christmas is on it’s way in a similar way to the Coca Cola Holidays Are Coming advert is to the rest of the world. So why, after 11 years, have they decided to change the advert loved by so many?

For those who don’t know, the original advert featured The Snowman, who steals a little boy’s can of Irn Bru. The new advert is a sequel to this, which sees the boy chase after The Snowman in an attempt to get his Irn Bru back. I have a lot of feelings on the new advert, but for now we’ll overlook those to talk Brexit influences and stuff.

There are a few theories about why Irn Bru have chosen to change their advert this year. Is it because of the controversial new recipe? Is it because of The Snowman’s anniversary? Or…is it because of Brexit?

Did I really just make an Irn Bru drinking snowman a political statement? Yes, but fear not I hate myself for it.

It is widely known that Scotland voted in favour of staying in the EU, i.e. Scotland said no to Brexit. Is the little boy Scotland, trying to take back what it feels it is entitled to? In which case the Snowman is everyone in England who voted to leave and Irn Bru is our place in the EU…and kilted Santa is Theresa May? I don’t know, even I get a little bit lost in the maze of my mind sometimes. Scotland say we want this, the rest of the voting country say no we want this and then Santa comes along and tells everyone it doesn’t matter because he is in charge so he gets to make all the decisions about who gets what. Even the way he dusts himself off at the start – is it symbolic of Scotland picking up the pieces after IndyRef? After finding out they had lost the Brexit war? That knowing look between the boy and the Snowman at the end – is it some kind of subliminal conveyance of a plot to take down Theresa May? How many Christmasses do we have to wait to find out?

Or is kilted Santa the EU? I don’t even know anymore, all I know is that I want the original advert back and a bottle of original recipe fiery Irn Bru.
Grasping at straws? Definitely. Impossible? No.

 

What’s your favourite Christmas advert this year? Let me know in the comments below!