‘Tis that time of year again when companies that can still afford it run their holiday television commercials.

From cereal and coffee to technology and beer, we’ve rounded up some of our favorites. There are a couple of classics – think Folgers – as well as some newer commercials, and some are just fun. One is not a holiday commercial at all, however you’ll soon get why we included it.

Happy watching. What are your favorite holiday commercials?

Cheerios ‘Grandma’s Visit’
Remember this one?

Holiday Hershey’s Kisses
So simple, but so fun.

Crazy Target Lady
Comedian Maria Bamford nails it as the insane holiday shopper.

Folgers ‘Peter Comes Home for Christmas’
Classic.

Nabisco Oreo Cookie ‘Waiting for Santa’
Another 80s classic.

Apple ‘Get a Mac’ Happy Holidays
Mac and PC go for some goodwill during the holidays.

Corona Extra ‘Oh Tannenpalm’
Christmas Corona style. Love.

Staples ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’
It’s not a holiday commercial at all, but the play on the popular Andy Williams song in their back-to-school campaign is just too good not to include.

With election day less than two weeks away, advertising is at a fever pitch. To my friends who live in swing states, it’s time to bust out the TiVo, because you will need it if you are not interested in watching a barrage of political television ads.

Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney campaigns, super PACs and party affiliates have each raised nearly one billion dollars this election. Think about that for a second. One billion dollars, and that does not include independent outside groups that support each candidate. Putting opinions on campaign finance reform and the Citizens United decision aside, that is a load of cash, and a huge percentage of it is being spent on advertising.

Most of the ad spends have been on television, which is not surprising, as television has long been the darling of political advertising budgets. Political campaigns and supporters favor this machine gun approach, however targeted online advertising has increased during this election cycle, too. Interestingly, several smaller media outlets are refusing to run political ads as part of a pricing dispute with ad exchanges.

We can’t talk about political outreach without talking about social media advertising. Social platforms certainly help spread the campaigns’ talking points and policy positions, however a recent UC Berkeley study indicates that social media advertising, particularly Facebook, has so far proven to be an ineffective medium to persuade someone to vote for a particular candidate. Watch Full Movie Streaming Online and Download

Without a doubt, the next week and a half is sure to be a wild ride from a marketing outreach and advertising perspective. Time to bring out the popcorn and enjoy the show.