Asda is one of the first U.K. retailers to kick off its holiday campaign, unleashing a TV spot on November 1 during "The X-Factor." Based around the hashtag #BecauseIt'sChristmas, it cheerfully celebrates some British Christmas traditions, from putting antlers on cars (and dogs) to watching "The Snowman" repeatedly, falling asleep in front of the TV and snogging a colleague under the mistletoe at the office Christmas party. The ideas used in the ad came from a poll of Asda customers.

The TV spot was created by VCCP, directed by Moxie Pictures' Neil Gorringe and features a new single by Fleur East, runner-up in last year's "X-Factor," which can be downloaded from iTunes. Other elements of the campaign include cinema and digital outdoor ads, including giant 3D boards featuring antlers and tree-esque lights in Leeds and Manchester, as well as Asda's biggest-ever digital effort, with content running across YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram.

Asda explained its decision to launch its Christmas ad in early November by quoting a survey of 20,000 people in the U.K. which showed that one in five people had completed part of their Christmas shopping by this time last year.