UK supermarket chain Waitrose has chosen to focus on its charitable efforts in this year's Christmas commercial, in contrast to other British retailers who are putting on glitzy and expensive campaigns featuring celebrities. The ad, by BBH, focuses on a little boy in a bobble hat putting one of the retailer's green donation tokens in a box, and follows it through to see a group of senior citizens enjoying a festive meal.

Christmas is once again gearing up to Britain's equivalent of the SuperBowl, with marketers using the festivities as a showcase for their creative work. Marks & Spencer is set to launch a commercial on Wednesday featuring actress Helena Bonham Carter and Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, while Waitrose's parent company John Lewis is rumoured to be using singer Lily Allen in its new ad, set to break at the end of this week.

According to The Guardian, supermarkets are expected to spend about 9% more on television than last year, with prize slots including the X Factor final on ITV in the second weekend in December, as well as Downton Abbey.