[Watch the new Publix holiday ad below.]
“Dear Santa, My name is Isabel, and I was born on Christmas Day.”
The words, spoken by a young girl with sleigh bells ringing, are heard as viewers see a hospital appear through a break in the clouds as Santa, his sleigh and a team of reindeer bank to the right off the screen en route to their next destination.
It’s the opening scene of Publix’s new, whopping 2-minute-long Christmas commercial (“Merry Birthday”) released Nov. 26. It’s the first Christmas ad from the popular Lakeland, Florida-based grocer since 2023. (In 2024, Publix released a Thanksgiving-themed ad.)
And it’s a Christmas ad like no other from Publix.
In addition to its long length, the ad is dark — both visually and in tone.
As Isabel’s letter to Santa unfolds, she describes years of disappointment in sharing her birthday with The Big Guy.
“My birthday is all about you, you, you,” she writes, describing the fun birthdays of her cousin (who had a party with “a real cowboy”) and her friend Suzi (who had a party with “an actual unicorn”). “Why can’t I have a birthday with dinosaurs?” she asks.
“My birthday theme is you, every year.”
And after several nightmarish scenes of Santa-themed birthday parties, Isabel has had enough: She pulls the plug on Santa, deflating a supersized inflatable likeness of him after stabbing him with the stake of a pink flamingo yard ornament.
With a very bright blinking red light from the Merry Christmas sign outside her bedroom window, we see Izzy tucked into bed, waiting for her birthday — and her annual disappointment — to arrive.
“I know I’m supposed to love Christmas, but I’d love an actual birthday for once,” she concludes her letter to Santa. “Anyways, enjoy your big day. Izzy.”
After 1 minute and 20 seconds of a Publix Christmas commercial as we’ve never seen before, sleigh bells ringing signal something sweet — and perhaps even tissue-worthy — is ahead.
Again, we see Santa, his sleigh and team of reindeer descend through the clouds to a nearly empty Publix supermarket parking lot on a very early Christmas morning.
Then, with a piano slowly sounding the first six notes of “Up on the House Top,” we see Izzy wake from her sleep and slowly make her way down the stairs, past a Christmas tree, to discover a Christmas morning like none other.
(We won’t ruin the moment. Watch for yourself.)
Watch the new Publix Christmas commercial for 2025, ‘Merry Birthday’
Again, we hear a piano playing, this time the first six notes of “Happy Birthday” followed by the ad’s tagline “This Christmas, make someone feel special.”
Unlike previous Publix Thanksgiving and Christmas commercials, there are no warm scenes of family gathered around the table or in the kitchen putting last-minute touches on a turkey dinner or sprinkles on a freshly baked Christmas sugar cookie.
There are no shots of Publix-branded bags of sugar or flour — or anything else for that matter.
Aside from the illuminated Publix sign at the 1:24 mark, the only reference to Publix is the company’s trademarked circular logo near the commercial’s end.
New Publix Christmas ad debuts during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
A 90-second version of the ad made its debut during Thursday’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (The 2-minute cinema film was released the day prior on YouTube.) Throughout the holiday season, viewers will also see 60-second versions of the ad on broadcast TV and online video, Publix said.
Publix said it created the ad to honor those who celebrate their birthdays on Christmas Day, according to a Nov. 26 news release.
“We know many people born on Christmas have faced years of shared celebrations and combined gifts,” said Publix Director of Creative Services Mark Nielsen. “We wanted to change that by giving them a moment of recognition and joy. In a season overflowing with cookies, they deserve cake — and our bakeries have just what they need.”
Yes, Publix is offering ‘Merry Birthday’ cakes in-store through the holiday season
And Publix is doing just that. The same “Merry Birthday” cake featured in the ad will also be available in-store, available in two versions: a two-tier cake, available by special order, and a one-tier, 9-inch mini version, available in-store and online at the grocer’s website.
Wasn’t there a Publix Thanksgiving commercial this year?
No. Publix didn’t release a Thanksgiving commercial this year, keeping with its pattern in recent years of releasing a Thanksgiving ad or a Christmas ad, but not both.
‘Thanksgiving: Grown Up Table’: Publix’s 2024 Thanksgiving commercial
In 2024, Publix returned to sentimentality, with a sweet ad about a young boy wanting to sit at the grown-up table, only to discover that the kids’ table looked to be more fun.
Publix’s 2023 Christmas commercial
In 2023, in another departure from its history of “Kleenex-worthy” ads, Publix tells the story of a toddler who works to rescue the family pet locked outside the house — and locked outside the holiday meal.
‘A Recipe for What Matters’: Publix’s 2022 Thanksgiving commercial
In 2022, Publix tugged at viewers’ heartstrings with its Thanksgiving ad, “A Recipe for What Matters,” featuring a grown daughter and her mother each preparing a holiday meal miles apart but connected with 21st-century technology and years of holiday memories.
‘The Attic:’ Publix’s 2021 Christmas commercial
In 2021, Publix released “The Attic,” a Christmas commercial featuring another young girl, a widower neighbor, a snowman and the magic of Christmas, all worthy of a tissue — or two.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: The new Publix Christmas ad is out. And it’s not like any you’ve seen.
Reporting by Gary T. Mills, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
