McDonald’s Christmas Advert 2022: heartwarming ad ‘The List’ set to Becky Hill song released - watch it here

McDonald’s Christmas advert for this year centres around a young boy who gets carried away in creating his list for Santa, only to realise it is the small things that matter most.

McDonald’s has unveiled this year’s heartwarming Christmas advert ready for the festive season - and it definitely packs the emotional punch. Titled ‘The List’, the advert centres on a young boy, Alfie, who is getting a little bit carried away in creating his list for Santa.

Along with his mum, who is getting carried away with making sure she has finished all her preparations for the holiday, the boy ends up creating a huge list focusing on the big, expensive and flashy gifts. However, following a visit to their local McDonald’s on Christmas Eve, both are reminded that it is the small things, like time spent with their loving family, that matter most.

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The advert was created by Tom Hooper, Oscar winning director of The King’s Speech, and set to Becky Hill’s rendition of Yazoo classic ‘Only You’. It was first released on McDonald’s social media at midnight on Thursday (November 10).

Cinema-goers will see it for the first time ahead of screenings of Black Panther on Friday (November 11) and it will be broadcast on TV during ITV’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here on Sunday (November 13). Previous Christmas adverts released by McDonald’s are renowned for their heartwarming and emotional storylines that pull at viewers’ heartstrings.

The 2021 iteration, which was backed by a festive Mabel track, told the story of Matilda, who reacquainted herself with an old childhood toy, Iggy, after she was reminded of it during a visit to her local McDonald’s restaurant. The new festive advert is the kickstart of McDonald’s Reindeer Ready campaign, which was first introduced in 2020.

The Alternative Christmas List is the focus this year and from November 14, there will be six unique opportunities to enhance the run up to the Christmas season through togetherness, as well as family and friends. Michelle Graham-Clare, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for McDonald’s, said: “We know this Christmas isn’t going to be a normal one for many families across the UK and Ireland, so it’s more important than ever that we’re there to support our customers in their preparations to get Reindeer Ready.

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“We’re proud to launch The Alternative Christmas List, which will provide many families across the UK with free, fun activities in the lead-up to the big day, but to also be supporting our charity partner BBC Children in Need with much-needed funds at a time when they need it most.” Brit Award winning and chart-topping singer songwriter Becky Hill added: ‘I am so pleased to working with McDonald’s once again for this year’s Christmas campaign.

“This year in particular so many families and young people are struggling with the cost of living & I’m so glad that 10p from every download is donated directly to BBC Children in Need - it’s humbling to see the work that this fantastic charity does and I’m proud to play my part in supporting the young people it helps.”

Just like the little boy in the advert, who is called Alfie, the aim of the campaign is to get you and your loved ones to take a brief moment to write a list of everything you want to do together ahead of Christmas Day. To achieve this, each week customers can log into the McDonald’s App, or head to ReindeerReady.co.uk to see what new experience has been added to ‘The Alternative Christmas List’. Customers can download the app on Apple and Android and will be able to access the following benefits:

  • November 14 to 20 – Cinema Tickets Competition
  • November 21 to 27 – Christmas Card Roadshow
  • November 28 to December 4 – Christmas Merch Competition – Jumpers (Nov 28-30) PJs (Dec 1-4)
  • December 5 to 11 – Christmas Carols (5-7) + Snapchat filter (8-11)
  • December 12 to 18 – AR lights (available till December 26)
  • December 19 to 24 – RRL (19 to 26) Audiobook (19 to 25)
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