Hallmark Shows Its Edgy Side in New Christmas Campaign

— -- Hallmark’s Christmas commercials are getting a makeover.

The company’s iconic commercials have, until now, tended to show families celebrating the holidays together, laughing and smiling as they open presents around the Christmas tree. This year, Hallmark seems to be shedding its sappy image for ads that have an edgier and mocking tone.

In one ad, called “Vegan Thanksgiving,” a family is seated at the dining room table, ready to dig into their Christmas dinner. The family’s grandfather becomes irritated when he’s repeatedly told the traditional Christmas ham would not be served.

“I’ll just have the ham,” the grandfather says in the ad, with a disgusted look at the food he’s served.

The family said they’ve decided to go vegan this year, with tofu, lavender seaweed and other veggies as the centerpiece of the meal. The father happily notes that most of the items on the dinner table were “grown in the family’s backyard” and cooked in coconut oil. When the grandfather opens the refrigerator door in search of the absent ham, the camera shows a variety of green juices and fresh veggies inside.

In another ad, “Perfectionist Mom,” a mother disapproves of how her children were decorating the Christmas tree, and moves the ornaments when they’re not looking.

Priya Raghubir, marketing department chair at New York University's Stern School of Business, said the ads made her “laugh out loud.”

“I was surprised because ... Hallmark’s commercials are annoying sweet,” she told ABC News. “I wouldn’t expect this from Hallmark. The company is making fun of its own stereotype, this picture-perfect world.”

The ads are certainly “shaking up” Hallmark’s likeness, according to Brad Adgate, a senior vice president at Horizon Media. “Hallmark ads usually pull at the heart strings. Is Hallmark becoming more comedic and edgier? We’ll see.”

The ads, part of Hallmark’s KeepSakeIt campaign, also poke fun at domineering parents and America’s selfie-obsessed culture.

Americus Reed, a professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, acknowledged that some people may be offended by the “tongue in cheek” tone, but the commercials illustrate that Hallmark is trying harder to reach a broader audience, he said.

“The commercials will really piss off people who claim a moral high ground, but that’s a small minority,” Reed told ABC News. “The commercials are a playful spin on Christmas nostalgia and they’re pretty effective.”

Hallmark’s not the only company shedding its feel-good appeal, Reed noted.

“Companies are trying to be edgy and odd and border-line offensive these days to stand out,” he said.

A representative for Hallmark did not respond to ABC News' request for comment.