Since Christmas and nostalgia go together like rum and egg nog, let's crack open a 160-proof bottle of classic Toronto Christmas TV commercials. Here's a fine selection of vintage yuletide classics to quench your festive thirst, whither marvelling at the low prices, cheesy sentimentality, or just lamenting the passing of a more innocent time.
Happy holidays, and bottoms up!
Bell
Sure, they might be an evil empire now but back in the 80s Bell was all about ill communication and this stylish spot said it all.
Cullen Gardens
A favourite destination for families and school trips in the '80s, the sadly disassembled miniature village at Cullen Gardens always put on a spectacular Christmas show.
Shoppers Drug Mart
During the halcyon run of TV's The Golden Girls, star Bea Arthur always made time to fly to Toronto and star in Shoppers Drug Mart commercials. Not quite starting at the bottom, but she was indeed there.
Radio Shack
The original tech geek store, small box-style and always full of soul.
Blacks Photography
Rocking one of the most memorable jingles of the '80s, of course Blacks Christmas commercials got welded into our psyche.
The Eaton Centre
Retro Eaton Centre ads seem to capture everything about the sentiment of the holidays in the 1980s.
Canadian Tire
Who could forget the "Give like Santa, save like Scrooge" campaign from Canadian Tire?
MuchMusic
Long before it showed up on basic cable, MuchMusic was Pay-TV, and therefore a great last-minute gift.
Multi-Tech Warehouse
The Multi-Tech guy was a mainstay of late-night Citytv, never more so than at Christmas time.
Miscellaneous
Seasonal Greetings
A big part of any local TV channel's identity was based on their seasonal greetings message. Here are few local classics
When the Business and Legal Affairs department wishes you a Happy Holiday, you know they mean it!
Merry Retro Christmas!
To see hundreds more retro Christmas TV commercials, specials, and other lost local ephemera, visit www.retrontario.com.
by Ed Conroy via blogTO
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