As the country struggles through a second wave of the coronavirus, the German government is calling on citizens to do what is expected of them: absolutely nothing. Parodying tropes of wartime discourse, the tongue-in-cheek campaign looks set to appeal to pandemic-fatigued Germans.

Heineken is giving new meaning to ‘craft beer’ with a holiday campaign focused on arts and crafts at home, with video tutorials on how to repurpose empty cans into decoration. With people likely to try to be thriftier this holiday season, brands have an opportunity to enable creativity.

From calls for community to the marked absence of warm motherly figures, the Christmas ad campaigns of 2019 aren’t as frivolous as they might first appear. From supermarkets to soda brands, Canvas8 looks back on the best of the season’s offerings with the help of expert semiotician Soma Ghosh.

The pandemic has forced people to reassess every aspect of their lives – including how they celebrate holidays. With the potential of further job losses and lockdowns, how can brands help Britons get in the festive spirit? From digital dinners to festive unboxing, the devil will be in the details.