It's the Most Terrible Time of the Year

Contents

It's the Most Terrible Time of the Year is an AI-generated television commercial created for McDonald's Netherlands by TBWA\Neboko and The Sweetshop. It was released on 6 December 2025 before being pulled four days later due to negative reception over its use of generative artificial intelligence and its cynical, negative depiction of the holiday season.

Plot

On a bleak, snowy day, various people in the city experience different kinds of mishaps during the Christmas season. Among other incidents, families struggle with their huge loads of presents; Santa Claus gets stuck in traffic; a Christmas tree "redecorates" a man's home, sending him through the window; another family puts up with annoying relatives and a burnt Christmas dinner. Because of all this chaos, a man decides to find refuge in a McDonald's outlet. A Christmas choir finishes singing the jingle "It's the Most Terrible Time of the Year" with the call to action to "hide out in McDonald's till January's here".[1]

Campaign

It's the Most Terrible Time of the Year is a 45-second television commercial made by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko with involvement of United States-based film production studio The Sweetshop.[2][3] The advertisement was produced heavily with generative artificial intelligence (AI) following the trend set by other brands such as Coca-Cola and Toys "R" Us.[4]

McDonald's Netherlands, the client, released a statement that the commercial was meant to depict "the stressful moments during the holidays in the Netherlands".[5] The commercial also used Andy Williams's "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" with lyrics changed to fit with the concept of the advertisement.[6]

According to The Sweetshop, the production of the advertisement took "seven weeks".[4] It also added that much effort was put into the commercial compared to the traditional process.[4] Ten people of its in-house AI unit The Gardening Club worked on the project.[7] Los Angeles-based directors Mark Potoka and Matt Spicer were initially credited to be involved in the film but they resigned due to being sidelined from the production process.[3]

Reception

The advertisement was released on McDonald's Netherlands' YouTube channel on 6 December 2025.[8] It had an overwhelmingly negative reception over the use of generative AI and the "cynical" concept of the work's story.[2][4][9] The video was made private on 9 December 2025.[8]

The Sweetshop stated that the production of the advertisement took human effort.[4] McDonald's Netherlands, while stating the original intent of the commercial, released a statement after its pullout that, for many of its customers, the holiday season is the "most wonderful time of the year".[3]

References

  1. 1."McDonald's - "It's the Most Terrible Time of The Year"". Ad Forum. Archived from the original on 1 February 2026. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  2. 2.[2.2]"McDonald's pulls AI-generated Christmas advert following backlash". BBC News. 10 December 2025. Archived from the original on 18 February 2026. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  3. 3.[3.2][3.3]"AI slop ad backfires for McDonald's". Los Angeles Times. 10 December 2025. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  4. 4.[4.2][4.3][4.4][4.5]Di Placido, Dani (9 December 2025). "McDonald's AI-Generated Ad Controversy, Explained". Forbes. Archived from the original on 28 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  5. 5."'Ruined my Christmas spirit': McDonald's removes AI-generated ad after backlash". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 11 December 2025. Archived from the original on 28 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  6. 6."Not lovin' it: McDonald's pulls AI-generated Christmas ad after social media backlash". NBC News. 11 December 2025. Archived from the original on 5 April 2026. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  7. 7.Wilkins, Joe (9 December 2025). "McDonald's Pulls Down AI-Generated Holiday Ad After Deluge of Mockery". Futurism. Archived from the original on 6 March 2026. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  8. 8.[8.2]"McDonald's removes AI-generated Christmas ad after online backlash". CBS8. 10 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  9. 9."McDonald's pulls Christmas advert after criticism". Newsweek. 10 December 2025. Archived from the original on 30 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.