Although Christmas isn't supposed to be about presents and drinking/eating too much, it's going to happen and we all just know it.

When we were sprawled out on the couch after the fifth Selection Box, you could easily hear any one of these adverts playing away as you slipped in and out of consciousness. Good times.

 

10. THE COCA-COLA LORRY ADVERT

The first time you see this, you know it's Christmas. Forget the calendars. Forget everything. Soon as you hear "holidays are comin'... holidays are comin'...", you know that holidays are indeed coming. Also, why was nobody freaking out about the animated Santa on the back of the lorry? And shouldn't those lorries be on the motorway? Don't most smaller villages have some rules against HGV? Are we overthinking this? It must be all the Coke.

 

9. THE BUDWEISER CLYDESDALE ADVERT

Exactly where do horses and Budweiser intersect? In what marketing meeting did they come up with the idea that horses would be associated with beer? Who cares. Time for some useless trivia. George Clooney - when he was on TV's Roseanne - recorded an alternate version of this famous advert.

 

8. THE TOYS 'R' US ADVERT

This was the advert where, as soon as you saw the GI Joe Mobile Command Centre/Subbuteo Kit/Barbie House/Sylvanian Family Set, you would scream the house down. "MAM COME QUICK MAM COME QUICK MAM MAM MAAAAAAAM!", and then 'Live At Three' would start back with Derek Davis being shown how to Paxo up a Turkey.

 

7. THE GOLDENEYE N64 ADVERT

Yes, it's not really a Christmas advert but it was on TV a lot during our childhood. Believe it or not, we held onto our Nintendo 64 with GoldenEye. After all, we made a promise that we would never get sick of it or ask for another console in six months time. And we didn't. That was 1996. And it's still as entertaining as ever.

 

6. THE PENNEYS ADVERT WITH THE WEIRD WOMAN IN KNICKERS

This was the first time we saw a grown woman in lingerie. And it was a Christmas advertisement shown in the middle of the day. What even, like.

 

5. THE RTE GUIDE ADVERT

It's Christmassss! Yes and you can win an Opel Corsa with thanks to 'Kenny Live'! We scoured the sacred tome that was the RTE Guide, looking to see if 'Charlie & The Chocolate Factory' was going to be on St. Stephen's Day or Christmas Eve. It was always one or the other.

 

4. THE KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES ADVERT

Ho, ho, ho, ho... Also, who didn't hate the girl with the glasses? She was such a big sister. Ugh. And what was up with them trying to CGI in the new cereal box design?! LEAVE IT THE WAY IT WAS JESUS IS NOTHING SACRED.

 

3. THE GUINNESS ADVERT

"Don't forget to turn your lights off..." And then the other couple closes the door and breathes a sigh of relief. "Yes, I know they're boring and they've got those gaudy lights. It's only for another year. Then we can leave this one-horse town that seems to have no other electricity except for them."

 

2. THE EIRCOM ADVERT WHEN THE LITTLE GIRL CALLS SANTA

We'd also like to add the Telecom Eireann one with Joe Dolan and Dustin. Keep it down, eh?! Charlie And The Chercala Factoreee is on.

 

1. THE ESB ADVERT

*sniff* And when they pull into the house... *sniff* ...and she's waiting for him... *sniff*