My wife has always believed that the festive season is truly upon us when the first Coca Cola Christmas ad airs: well here it is.
Actually, that's not quite true, because Coca Cola have given us a sneak preview of an ad that will not air on TV screens until 24 November.
But, although the ad is directed by Kerry Conran, director of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, is this ad up to the usual standard of the Coke Christmas campaign?
Our family favourites always involve the "Holidays are coming, holidays are coming..." sing-a-long. But this one seems a little saccharine sweet even by those standards.
Of course, you may feel that Christmas has just become too damn commercialised. The Advertising Standards Authority has already received complaints that the Festive ad season has started too early.
Or you may think that Coke has no right to try to franchise Christmas. Except they already have: Santa did not dress in red and white until a Coca Cola advertising man decided that he should in 1931.
