At this time of year, most of our minds are preoccupied with buying stuff, wrapping stuff, making and freezing stuff and ticking stuff off our never-ending to-do lists. Most of us are lucky enough not to have to think about what would happen if Santa forgot Christmas. But it a question we’ll be forced to consider as soon as we watch the new Christmas advert from Alzheimer’s Research UK.
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As soon as we’ve stopped sobbing, that is.
The animated campaign delivers a poignant message as it explores the idea of Santa having dementia and forgetting to deliver gifts to children across the world, as is his annual festive duty. It features a young girl called Freya, who lives in a world where Santa no longer visits on Christmas Eve. When Freya learns about Santa’s dementia, she tries to help, believing that research is the way to find a fix to Santa’s disease.
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The voiceover is done by the perfectly cast Stephen Fry, and the animation is the work of Aardman, the world-renowned team behind Wallace and Gromit.
So far, this year’s Christmas adverts have been pretty impressive. We’re loving Marks & Spencer’s Mrs. Claus and Sainsbury’s reflection of modern family life with a same-sex couple. But Alzheimer’s Research UK have really made an impact with #SantaForgot.
Over 850,000 people in the U.K. suffer from dementia, which is the leading cause of death among women and has an economic impact (over £24 billion per year) greater than that of cancer and heart disease combined. It’s also the world’s greatest medical challenge.
People need to know that dementia and the diseases that cause it, most commonly Alzheimer’s, can affect any one of us. Even Santa.
Visit www.alzheimersresearchuk.org for more information about Alzheimer’s Research UK.
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