The Sweetest Christmas Video Ever?

Literally two days after I wrote that I probably won't bother highlighting Christmas videos because everyone else will be doing it, here I am showcasing a Christmas video. Which should hopefully be an indication of how much I like this from Regis University:

It's just so disarmingly sweet! It's got some laughs, sure, but it's the heart of it that shines through and makes it memorable. Perhaps best of all, I was expecting it to go one way - sort of a slapsticky "when the students are away, the priest will play" gag - but it ended up with the slightest touch of pathos: "when the students are away, the priest will be lonely and wish they were back on campus." Not surprisingly, this video proved to be an immediate hit - blowing up Regis' Facebook page with likes and shares.

In a lot of ways, it reminds me of this video from Lee University in July (which coined the infamous phrase "bummer in the summer") when the president wishes that the summer would end so students would come back.

There's just something unabashedly sweet and endearing for colleges presidents to 1) take the time to make a video like this and 2) be so earnest in letting the students know they are valued and they are missed.

I've been working on a Christmas video for UP, and while it's nice and all - pretty song from the student choir, pretty shots of campus - it is lacking the endearing quality that this video from Regis has in spades. It's too late to turn back now, but I think it's worth taking a step back and re-thinking what exactly the goal is with Christmas videos like this.

Way to go, Regis marketing team! This is fantastic work.