A new series of fun holiday spots from Virgin Hotels features a cocktail-quaffing version of Santa who says he's put everyone on the "nice list," despite their 2020 misdemeanors.

This world-weary and gossipy version of Saint Nick appears in a series of 15 second spots, GIFs and social posts by Joan Creative, reading emails on his phone about Helen, who pretended to be pregnant rather than having a Covid belly, Viv, who faked a Zoom wedding to get wedding gifts, and Shannon, who used her bra as a facemask. 

The tagline is "You've been good enough" because 2020 has been such a hell and no-one is going on the naughty list (a similar idea to Tesco's campaign in the U.K.)

The campaign is promoting a 35% discount on a staycation of Virgin's hotels in Dallas, Chicago and Nashville. "Everyone's had a rough year, so we thought why don’t we try to brighten it with some Virgin cheekiness," said Doug Carrillo, Chief Marketing Officer of Virgin Hotels, in a statement. "We're celebrating those of us who've made it through, and maybe even misbehaved a little, giving them a chance to celebrate the holidays with a great deal."

Earlier in the pandemic, Virgin Hotels pushed itself with another cheeky campaign that positioned it as the place to help harried parents and bickering couples relax.