THE festive season has kicked off with a bang. There are now so many Christmas adverts on TV in early November that you need both hands to count them.

Whether you love them or aren’t a fan, the commercials are the true sign that the big day is not far around the corner.

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While we eagerly await the big reveal of the John Lewis ad, lots of other retailers have already aired their seasonal offerings.

Elizabeth Hurley shows us how to have a stress-free Debenhams Christmas, while Dawn French returns for M&S Food.

Here, we review 11 of these festive mini-blockbusters, giving each a rating out of five for entertainment value.

Debenhams – 4/5

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THE 2024 “Duh, Debenhams” advert is a playful take on the festive madness we know all too well.

Featuring a star-studded cast including Elizabeth Hurley, Leomie Anderson, Ellie Taylor, and Hannah Cooper-Dommett, this ad suggests how easy festive online shopping can be.

With cheeky nods to the usual Christmas chaos, the celebs hilariously answer the question: “Why does Christmas shopping have to be so hard?” with a sassy, “Duh, Debenhams”.

This ad is sure to bring a smile to your face and remind you that Christmas shopping does not have to be so stressful.

Aldi – 3/5

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KEVIN the Carrot is back for the ninth year running, and this time he is on a mission to save Christmas.

In a new adventure, Kevin and pal Katie navigate perilous ­situations and dodge booby traps to free the Spirit of Christmas and show the humbugs that “Christmas is better when ­goodwill is returned”.

It’s still a fun watch for the kids, but alas I fear Kevin is fast approaching his expiry date.

Morrisons – 2/5

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MORRISONS has brought back its singing oven gloves. Only this time, there’s more of them.

Set to the catchy tune of Bugsy Malone track You Give A Little Love, the music is ­performed by a choir of 26 ­Morrisons staff.

The gloves, now fully animated, sing in support of the nation’s family chefs as they prepare an array of indulgent Christmas dishes.

It’s on the mark, but I worry this jingle will become grating.

Greggs – 5/5

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GREGGS has set the bar high with its first Christmas advert, which features celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.

Set to an instrumental version of Carol Of The Bells, the ad opens with Nigella in her ­festive London townhouse.

She calls Christmas her “favourite time of year” and enjoys a Greggs Festive Bake, describing it as a “rapturous riot of flavour” with a “succulent ­filling”, playfully mimicking her saucy TV style.

Lidl – 3/5

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THE Lidl Christmas advert tells a heartwarming tale of a little girl who, after helping an elderly woman, makes a wish to share her Lidl woolly hat with a boy she noticed earlier, who looked cold.

This touching gesture embodies Lidl’s message of sharing the magic this Christmas.

It also highlights the return of Lidl Toy Banks, with the aim of collecting and distributing more than 100,000 toys donated by customers to needy children.

Argos – 3/5

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THE Argos Christmas advert ­features brand mascots Connie the doll and Trevor the dinosaur.

Seen in a dazzling dreamscape, Trevor lives out his rock star ­fantasy, belting out T-Rex’s classic 20th Century Boy atop a mountain of Marshall speakers.

The scene is electric as Trevor headlines for a crowd of adoring fans, all of whom are his best friend Connie.

This whimsical promo will charm audiences of all ages.

Sainsbury’s – 4/5

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THE star here is the Big Friendly Giant from Roald Dahl’s beloved book, voiced by Stephen Fry.

The BFG asks: “Hey Sainsbury’s – how can we make this Christmas a bit more . . . phizz-whizzing?”

Enter Sophie, a Sainsbury’s staffer, who helps him gather food from the supermarket’s trusted suppliers.

The heart-warming promo ends with Fry inviting viewers to, “ask Sainsbury’s” for a truly spectacular festive feast.

M&S Food – 4/5

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AUDIENCES are in for a treat as Dawn French and her fairy alter-ego from past ads share the screen for the first time.

As Fairy sprinkles her magic across Dawn’s home, Christmas comes alive with M&S treats, twinkling lights and Christmas cheer.

Six variations will air, with a special cameo by Katherine Jenkins on December 17.

But a second year without Jennifer Saunders does take away some of the magic.

Asda – 3/5

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THE ad opens with Asda staff Maggie and Bill gazing out at a massive snowstorm.

 Maggie frets: “Every road is closed between here and Sheffield – how are we going to get the store ready for Christmas?”

Enter a team of ceramic gnomes who transform the store into a Christmas wonderland, all set to The A-Team theme tune.

While delightful, it doesn’t top Asda’s previous ads ­featuring Will Ferrell and Michael Buble.

Shelter – 5/5

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GET your tissues ready because Shelter has done it again with its heart-wrenching Christmas ad.

The film opens in an imaginary world where little Mia and her dad are walking across an alien landscape.

They wave to Father Christmas and high-five an alien octopus.

But reality intrudes, revealing their actual life in temporary accommodation and the dad’s efforts to shield Mia from the harsh conditions through make-believe.

THOUSANDS can expect to see their benefit payments land earlier than usual next month.

Households on Universal Credit, child benefit and tax credits are among those affected.

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) usually needs to shuffle payment dates around the holiday season.

This means that thousands of benefit payments will be affected to accommodate the bank holidays over Christmas and New Year.

So, if your payment date lands on a bank holiday, you can expect to receive it earlier.

You should receive your money the first working day before the date you are supposed to be paid.

If you are due to be paid on December 25, 26 and 27, your payment will arrive on December 24 instead.

The New Year bank holiday will also affect payments.

If you are due to be paid on January 1, the cash will land in your account on December 31.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC have confirmed the following benefits will be affected :

The amount you get paid will not change.

It will be the same as the previous month unless you have had a change of circumstances that has affected how much you are due.

Remember that if you get paid early, you must make that money last, as you will have to wait extra days until your next payment date.

If you expect a payment not paid on time, double-check the date you are usually paid and contact your bank.

Should you need further help, you must contact the DWP.

You can also file a complaint with the DWP regarding any unpaid benefits.

UPCOMING BENEFIT CHANGES

Thousands of households on old-style legacy benefits are being moved to Universal Credit via Managed Migration.

The government is transitioning two million people to Universal Credit or pension credit.

The vast majority will be moved by April 2025.

The process started being rolled out in May last year after a successful pilot in July 2019.

Households are being contacted via letters telling them how to move from their old benefit to Universal Credit.

Once you receive a letter, you have three months to move over, or you could lose your current benefits.

You can read more about the process and who is impacted here.

THOUSANDS of pensioners are set to get cost of living payments worth £200 within weeks.

Hard-up retirees are set to receive the payment through the Household Support Fund (HSF).

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The aid was set up in 2021 but has been extended a number of times by the government as households struggle to keep on top of rising costs.

It is paid out by local councils and is not exclusive for pensioners to claim.

However, cuts to the £300 Winter Fuel Payment have meant many older people have begun to turn to the aid for extra support.

In East Riding,  low-income pensioners, disabled people, care leavers and those who are financially in crisis can claim £200 worth of cost-of-living support.

To meet the criteria the following must apply:

• Be an East Riding resident and in receipt of housing benefit, housing element of universal credit or council tax support
• Be in receipt of a means-tested benefit and have been continuously for a minimum of three months
• Applicant and partner not in employment
• Have less than £1000 in savings
• Not received financial support from the Household Support Fund during the period April 1 2024 to September 30 2024
• Not receiving targeted financial support from the current Household Support Fund.

The local council will pay £200 to eligible households which they can then use for food or energy support.

East Riding Council opened the scheme for applicants in October, and payments will be made until March 2025.

If your claim is successful then you should receive the payment in 20 days.

To apply for the fund you can visit www.eryc.link/fund.

Alternatively, if you do not have access to the internet you can ring the following number, (01482) 393939.

What if I don’t live in East Riding?

It is not only households in East Riding that have access to the Household Support Fund (HSF).

The government has promised to pump a further £1billion into the fund over 2025 and 2026.

This is on top of the £421million top-up up which was announced in September and saw the scheme extended until March 2025.

Some examples of what other councils are doing include Rotherham Council, which is now offering struggling families £250 grants to fight the cost of living.

Rotherham Council says to qualify for the grant, residents must have no more than £150 remaining each month after covering essential expenses like food, rent or mortgage and utility bills.

You do not need to be on benefits to apply for the fund.

How to know if you qualify?

Financial support available to struggling households varies from council to council, so it is worth checking what schemes your local council offers to ensure you get all the support you need. 

The benefits you already receive will not be impacted by applying for the HSF. 

And, you do not necessarily need to receive benefits in the first place  to get vouchers or funds from the HSF.

To get the help, you’ll need to check with your council – as local authorities are in charge of distributing the funding.

Information on how to apply for the funding should be published on your council’s website. Each council will have a different application process.

If there’s no information on your council’s website, then it’s best to ring them up and ask for more information.

MARTIN Lewis has urged savers to act now to boost their balances ahead of a key decision tomorrow.

He spoke during Tuesday’s episode of his ITV programme, The Martin Lewis Money Show Live.

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Martin urged Brits to check what interest they currently get ahead of an expected fall in the UK base rate this Thursday.

He said: “The UK base rate, this is the Bank of England set rate, obviously was very low and then it’s risen recently and peaked at 5.25%.

“It’s dropped to five per cent now and we are expecting on Thursday that interest rate to drop by about a quarter of a per cent.”

He qualified that this was not guaranteed.

Martin went on: “Now though we are in the position where inflation is substantially lower than we have on interest rates so your money is growing in real terms.

“If you put money away in savings and in a couple of years, you will be able to buy more with it than you could at the point you put it in.

“Saving is finally, at last, paying.”

In the same programme, he also warned that a million people have been overpaying their student loans – and could be owed a refund.

In the last tax year, more than one million university leavers overpaid their student loans, according to figures released by the Student Loans Company (SLC).

Speaking on The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, on ITV on Tuesday, the show host said graduates were able to claim money back if they had overpaid, which was “very easy to do”.

There were four main reasons you may have overpaid your student loan.

Martin said: “The first, and the biggest by a mile, over a million people overpaid this way, is you should only repay if you earn over the annual threshold.”

He added: “For Plan 2, which has the most number of people on it, 2012 to 2022 English starters, you’ve got to understand, if you earn less than that [£27,295] you shouldn’t repay the student loan but because it’s taken via the payroll your student loan is taken monthly.

“A twelfth of that is £2,274 per year, so if you earn more than that in a month, you’re gonna have student loan contributions taken from you.”

He explained that because repayments are taken from your payroll monthly, if your earnings vary through the year, you may be assumed to be over the yearly limit in one month of decent earnings.

This is despite you not earning above the total threshold for the year when earnings are taken as a whole – meaning the money is taken from you despite not being eligible.

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A second reason was people were on the wrong student loan repayment plan – in which case you should talk to your employer and tell them what plan you’re on.

The third reason is that you started repaying too early.

If you started university from 1998 onwards and were a full-time student, you should not have begun paying your loan back until the April after finishing your course.

But the latest figures from SLC reveals that 59,251 students had loan repayments taken before they were due to start repayments in 2023/24, according to MoneySavingExpert.com.

The fourth reason is that the loan was wiped – which typically happens after 30 years – but a number were still left paying in error.

A number of case studies of those who overpaid were revealed in an article for Martin’s Money Saving Expert website, published on November 4.

Fiona wrote in during October 2023 saying: “I knew something wasn’t right when I lodged my tax returns and reading Martin’s article was the catalyst for a sustained attempt to work out what had happened. I received £3,773 back.”

Lyndsey said: “Thanks to watching Martin Lewis’s programme last night I contacted the SLC and have got a refund of £706 as I had started paying straightaway. Great just before Christmas.”

Melissa said: “Just wanted to say a massive thank you as I read your article on overpaying on student loan repayments and realised there was a chance I had overpaid.

“Turns out I had and I’ve since received a refund of £900! I’ve been doing house renovations this year so this money has been incredibly handy in going towards them.”

Lisa added: “I spent 15 minutes on the phone and got £555 back for overpayments on my student loan.

“Most was because of my maternity leave. Thanks so much, couldn’t have come at a better time.”

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MORRISONS is selling its strongest ever garlic bread that’s 10 times more powerful than usual – but you’ll have to get your skates on.

The Dracula’s Devil version of the supermarket’s garlic bread pizza has a whopping 10 extra whole cloves of garlic.

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It’s thought to be the most potent garlic bread pizza ever sold in the UK.

The 10-inch pizza costs £2 and made at Morrisons in-store fresh pizza counters.

The limited edition pizza is available now until November 9, so it’s best to rush down to your local store before the offer ends.

The launch of the pizza comes as research revealed around one third (34 per cent) of Brits confessed to hiding from Halloween celebrations by not answering the door to trick or treaters.

Others pull the curtains shut (33 per cent), and make sure lights are not on either at the front or anywhere in the house (both 24 per cent).

It also emerged that more than half the nation (54 per cent) avoid celebrating Halloween on October 31 and consider themselves a “Halloween Hider”, whilst 40 per cent of Brits identify as “Halloween Haunters” and enjoy the festivities. 

Two fifths (40 per cent) though have taken steps to celebrate, leaving a pumpkin by the door (27 per cent), prepared Halloween themed food (22 per cent), or thrown a party (17 per cent). 

Despite more “Halloween Hiders” than “Halloween Haunters” the majority (66 per cent) would be happy to share their trick or treating treats, with a further 23 per cent sharing these but keeping the majority for themselves.

One in ten (11 per cent) though would not share any, rising to 15 percent of men.

Phillip Wall, Buying Manager of Pizza Counter & Salad Bar at Morrisons, said: “After popular demand, our Dracula’s Devil Garlic Bread Pizza is back and more garlicky than ever.

“We hope all our customers enjoy this limited-edition pizza, whether they’re a ‘Halloween Hider’ and use the extra-garlicky pizza to fight off vampires, or a ‘Halloween Haunter’ and enjoy sharing the pizza at Halloween celebrations with friends and family.

“This pizza is limited edition so customers must be quick to avoid disappointment.”

 The Dracula’s Devil Garlic Bread Pizza is available now in-store at the Morrisons fresh pizza counter.

If you’re worried about the smell, scientists found that garlic can apparently make men smell more attractive to women.

It comes as shoppers have been rushing out to nab themselves a suitcase after the supermarket slashed the price to as little as £8.

Morrisons Christmas advert

Morrisons has also unveiled its Christmas advert  – which you can watch at the top of the page – and it features a famous movie soundtrack sung by kitchen oven gloves.

The common household item comes to life in this festive clip, singing the showtune “Give a Little Love” from Bugsy Malone.

Morrisons’s 60-second advert will air for the first time on television this evening on ITV during Coronation Street.

It begins with a Morrisons delivery van arriving at a home and then panning to a lone oven glove who suddenly springs life and belts into song.

As the ad progresses, viewers are taken through a series of kitchens to the backdrop of the iconic song, where more and more oven gloves appear.

The gloves, which are voiced by Morrisons workers, are singing to encourage families as they prepare their Christmas dinner.

Viewers can expect to see a number of dining tables filled with Morrisons food, including its classic turkey, salmon and a range of desserts.

Party food from its premium The Best range also makes an appearance, which is available to buy in stores now.

The ad concludes as a family sits down for their meal joined by a host of singing oven gloves.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

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THE EXACT code to spot for the DWP Christmas bonus has been revealed.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hands out a tax-free bonus to hard-pressed households ahead of Christmas.

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For people who meet the criteria, the money is usually paid into their bank account automatically, meaning you do not have to apply.

If you are not sure if you have received the payment before, check on your bank statements for a code which says “DWP XB”.

To get the money you usually need to be claiming benefits before the qualifying week, which is typically the first week of December.

The full list of benefits which make you eligible for the bonus include:

• Adult Disability Payment
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer Support Payment
• Child Disability Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Incapacity Benefits at the long-term rate
• Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
• Mobility Supplement
• Pension Credit – the guarantee element
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
• Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
• Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• War Disablement Pension at State Pension Age
• War Widow’s Pension
• Widowed Mother’s Allowance
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Widow’s Pension

If you meet the criteria, you will get £10 from the DWP to help towards costs over Christmas.

The DWP says that if you think you should get it and the money hasn’t come through by January 1, you must contact your local Jobcentre Plus office.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that in some cases you could be entitled to claim even if you are not claiming benefits.

This usually only applies if you are in a partnership, for example a marriage or civil partnership, and are claiming the State Pension.

State Pension loophole

For example, your partner may still get the £10 bonus if you are both over the State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week.

This usually starts on the first Monday of December, so this year it will begin on the 2nd of the month.

In this instance, one of you will need to be claiming a qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit.

Both of you will also need to be aged either 66 or above by the start of December.

So, for example, a retired husband may be claiming Pension Credit and his wife is not, but his claim makes them both eligible for the bonus.

However, you will not get the money paid out separately – instead a total of £20 will be paid in one account.

And bear in mind that your partner who is claiming must also be entitled to an increase in their qualifying benefit.

So, for example, you can be entitled to an increase in Pension Credit if you start living with your partner.

The benefit tops up your weekly income to £213 if you’re single or your joint weekly income to £332.95 if you have a partner.

If an increase in benefit is paid for an adult partner that should be shown on the benefit award letters sent out annually, or when the benefit was first claimed.

It will usually say something like “extra amount paid for your partner” and give a figure.

If the benefit is pension credit the award letter will say something like “amount for you and your partner”.

Other factors

To get the cash, you also must be present or a resident in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar or Switzerland during the qualifying week.

If you are concerned about your partner missing out, contact with the DWP for help.

Samuel Thomas, senior policy advisor at anti-poverty charity Z2K, previously told The Sun: “Many people are entitled to more financial support from the social security system than they realise.

“If you’re struggling financially, you should check whether you can claim any additional benefits or seek independent advice.”

If you are worried about costs this winter, make sure you’re aware of different support available to you.

For example, councils are giving out up to £500 in cash and food grants via the Household Support Fund.

How to check your eligibility

For those who are unsure if they can get access to the bonus and other help, you can use an online benefits calculator.

These are free-to-use online tools which can be accessed at a number of websites.

For example, the charity Turn2Us’ has a benefits calculator that works out what you could get.

Entitledto also has a free calculator that determines whether you qualify for various benefits, including tax credits and Universal Credit.

You can also use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.

Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.

If you do not want to use an online calculator there are other options available.

For example, you can also check with a local benefits adviser to find out what you could be entitled to.

The website advicelocal.uk lets you enter your postcode and informs you of your nearest adviser and how you can contact them.

For example, if you enter on the website that you live in Wandsworth, London it will give you the details of the nearest support in the area.

In this instance, it was the borough’s local Age UK and Citizens Advice.

You should be aware that many organisations do not offer an open-door service.

If you are planning to contact an organisation for help or advice you might want to check their website for more information before doing so..

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