Real Weddings: Keelin and Darren tie the knot overlooking Dingle Bay
Real Weddings: Keelin and Darren tie the knot overlooking Dingle Bay

Shayna Sappington

Let me tell you why a mother is the perfect employee
Let me tell you why a mother is the perfect employee

Dominique McMullan

I broke up with my boyfriend and now I have bangs
I broke up with my boyfriend and now I have bangs

Edaein OConnell

WIN a family pass to Emerald Park this Easter
WIN a family pass to Emerald Park this Easter

Shayna Sappington

This peaceful Victorian-era Galway home is on the market for €1.65 million
This peaceful Victorian-era Galway home is on the market for €1.65 million

Sarah Finnan

How to recreate 90s skinny brows without plucking out your eyebrows
How to recreate 90s skinny brows without plucking out your eyebrows

Holly O'Neill

A definitive guide to the very best Irish-made Easter eggs
A definitive guide to the very best Irish-made Easter eggs

Sarah Gill

Supper Club: Peanut soba noodle salad
Supper Club: Peanut soba noodle salad

Meg Walker

18 interiors finds under €50 to refresh your home this spring
18 interiors finds under €50 to refresh your home this spring

Megan Burns

This Co Meath self-build blends with its rural surroundings, and has a clean and modern interior
This Co Meath self-build blends with its rural surroundings, and has a clean and modern...

Megan Burns

Image / Editorial

You probably missed this Christmas ad but it might be one of the best


By Niamh ODonoghue
25th Dec 2018
You probably missed this Christmas ad but it might be one of the best

Nothing says Christmas time like the bevvy of festive ads that bombard us from early November. Advertisements are undoubtedly powerful; they can make us laugh, cry, evoke powerful, precious memories from our early childhoods and make us question whether we really needed to purchase that extra pair of shoes (the short answer is yes). This year, we’ve been blessed with some good ‘uns from the tearful John Lewis, to the brave children guiding Santa to safety for Dunnes Stores, to Lidl’s Kevin The Carrot (a national treasure, in my opinion).

By now you’ve probably seen them ALL twice over, but one beautiful ad has slipped completely under the radar. If there was an award for cutest Christmas ad Erste Group – one of the largest financial services providers in Central and Eastern Europe – would probably win it.

Called the #believeinyourself campaign, the short animation features an extraordinary production fuelled by the true meaning of Christmas; love, togetherness and friendship.

Directed by Kyra & Constantin, ‘First Christmas’ is a love story told in beautiful animation with woodland characters spreading the message. We follow Henry the Hedgehog as he starts at a new school. His spikes make it hard for him to fit in but luckily he has a friend, Squirrel, looking out for him. The CGI animation has been given a truly unique tactile and fuzzy feel, with Kyra & Constantin telling the story of love through the adorable characters.

This is the group’s first attempt at a large-scale festive ad and it’s a sheer delight to watch. Tissues at the ready.