While it seems like Santa’s agent did not turn down any requests for ad appearances in 2014 by the Man in the Red Suit (check out this one), this was one of the best recent holiday ads this year:

No Santa here, but there is something else conspicuously absent from a Stella Artois commercial – can you spot it?

The Stella Artois 2014 holiday campaign, entitled Give Beautifully, is a series of several videos about “timeless gift-giving” that are sort of teased in the one above.  It leaves me wanting to know more about the story behind each gift alluded to in the ad.  It’s one of the most engaging campaigns that I’ve seen recently.

Anheuser-Busch, owners of Stella and Budweiser, has a history of connecting with the consumer through heart-warming ads (remember this one?).  Not surprisingly, they also filed a trademark application in the U.S. for the GIVE BEAUTIFULLY mark for “beer.”

What I like most about the ad above during this season of sale bombardment is that it doesn’t focus on the consuming, it focuses on the giving, which is all that Santa really cares about too.

Merry Christmas!  I hope you #GiveBeautifully this season.