Did you remember? This was the announcement of the 2022 Christmas Lottery
The public imagination holds a special place for Christmas lottery moments. Even those who claim to avoid television could not forget the scenes that accompany the festive draws. In the season when bells ring and the year ends with a flourish, these commercials stand out as some of the strongest memories created by home screens. They travel beyond the living room, moving through social media and becoming topics of discussion with as much energy as the broadcasts themselves once had. The ads have become a shared cultural habit, a routine everyone recognizes and sometimes anticipates.
In Spain, the Christmas Lottery is inseparably linked to a famous figure whose image became synonymous with the shares and suspense of the draw. Since the late 1990s, the well-known “lottery bald man” helped popularize the spots and gave the campaign an instant recognizability that persists even years after his presence faded from the broadcasts. The slogan may be simple, yet it looms large in the collective memory: may luck be with you. While the advertisement itself marks the moment when the draw reaches its climax, the tradition of these promos traces back through decades of broadcasting history.
The origin of the Christmas lottery dates to a first draw held in 1812, conceived in Cádiz alongside the statutes that shaped the year’s national framework. It would take time for the program to reach every home, with the first televised broadcast appearing in black and white in 1956. Some elements have stayed remarkably consistent, such as the distinctive cadence used to recite the numbers, while others have evolved. In the early days, a familiar brand, El Gaitero wine, helped color the event as television advertising and the draw itself grew in prestige. In later years, brands like Freixenet became closely associated with the holiday spirit, thanks to their bubbly imagery and enduring presence in seasonal campaigns. The core moment remains the same, a communal breath before the reveal of prizes and hopes for luck.
There are other memorable Christmas advertisements to consider, including the playful and iconic campaigns for cava and sparkling wines. The world of holiday marketing has produced a history rich with festive imagery—nougat campaigns from the late 1800s, and the classic almond tree all hold a dedicated place in the shared memory of viewers. These pieces stand alongside the lottery’s own familiar face, forming a tapestry of seasonal advertising that many families recognize with a smile.
Since RTVE revised its approach in 2005, the Christmas ads shifted toward compact storytelling, sometimes becoming cinematic in scope. They have experimented with animation and short films, as in a 2015 campaign, and occasionally sparked debate or memes. Moments like the 2013 production featuring well-known performers drew wide reaction and humor from audiences. Although predictability exists in the ritual, each year holds the potential for a fresh surprise that might brighten a family gathering or ignite a social media thread. The hope remains that luck will come to those who watch, share, and dream along with the broadcast during the holiday season.