As a young girl born in the mid-60s but with the majority of my childhood memories in the ’70s, Christmas was a magical time. It just was. I don’t know how to explain why it felt different. It could be all the homes decorated for the holidays, or the department store windows with their glittery, mechanical displays. It could have been the carolers, yes, people really did that, or the giant Christmas catalogs that came in the mail. Or it could have been the Christmas specials on TV, with their Christmas commercials that kept us too intrigued to leave the room for a snack or bathroom break.
Sometimes the Christmas commercials were just as good, if not better than the Christmas shows themselves. The Christmas commercials gave us something to dream about and something to wish for. They brought those catalog pictures to life because we could see the possibilities. Even commercials for grown-up items like electric razors or coffee brought the holiday spirit to life.
Unforgettable Christmas Commercials of the ’70s and ’80s
Picture this setting: It’s early December. You and your five siblings are arranged on the couch or a pillow on the floor. Your parents are reading newspapers or magazines from their comfy chairs. Your youngest sibling is on antenna duty, reading to rearrange the rabbit ears at the smallest sign of fuzziness. It’s time to watch a Christmas special.
But wait, what’s that? Before the show even starts, the festive strains of Jingle Bells begin. You know it’s officially Christmas time when you see the Norelco electric razor ski over snow-covered hills. Everyone leans in, so as not to miss a thing.
Norelco Electric Razor
Kids didn’t have much use for a Norelco electric razor, but the Santa riding his Norelco over snow-covered hills appealed more to kids than adults. Reminiscent of Rankin and Bass holiday specials, the Norelco razor ad was 30 seconds of Christmas tradition.
Hess Trucks
Every year, Hess puts out a limited-edition truck around Christmas time. To some, these were collector’s items only to be displayed, to others, Santa left them under the tree to be played with. For kids, it was considered quite the coup to receive one of these bad boys as a gift. This tradition didn’t end in the ’70s either. Kids of all ages are still enjoying these vehicles that have evolved beyond semi trucks to dump trucks and loaders, a recreation van complete with a dune buggy and motorcycle, and even hot rods.
I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing…Or Buy the World a Coke
In 1971, we all watched transfixed as a meadow full of singers from all walks of life sang about how they’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Sure, it was a Coke commercial, but it was catchy. The song was also released as a single (without the part about buying the world a Coke) and became a bit of a hit for the Hillside Seekers (Also the New Seekers).
In 1977, the song was repurposed for the holidays as a Christmas commercial, again for Coke. And we were there for it. Once again, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” was an earworm that we gladly sang along to.
The Corey Feldman Christmas Commercial
If you had to rank Christmas commercials of the ’70s and ’80s by their adorableness factor, the Corey Feldman McDonald’s commercial would be at the top of the list. Our first look at this teen heartthrob turned hot mess was in an ad for McDonald’s, where a pajama-clad Feldman sneaks out of bed to leave Santa a McDonald’s gift certificate (50 cents went a long way back in 1975 ) only to be rewarded with a robust “ho ho ho!” as he tiptoes back to bed.
Atari ET Commercial
In 1982, I didn’t have an Atari, and I didn’t see ET (yet), but I remember thinking the commercial for the ET Atari game was very cool. Featuring a pint-sized Alien Santa Claus picking the Atari game from the presents under the tree and indulging in a game, while kids (and dog ) look on in delight, this commercial captured both the magic and commercialism of Christmas.
Folger’s Coffee
Peter’s Home, and he’s making coffee. In this heartwarming commercial, Peter enters a home that we will assume he is allowed to enter, and makes a pot of Folger’s Coffee so delicious, it wakes up the whole house. Surprise! Peter is home for the holidays, and he’s making coffee!
Reliving the Moments
Thanks to the Internet, we can relive the Christmas commercials of our youth and share them with our families. LOL. Who am I kidding? If your kids are like mine, they won’t want to tear themselves away from their own screens to watch nostalgic TV ads on mine.
What are your favorite old Christmas commercials?
