• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, October 18, 2022

Nordstrom is starting the season with sweet and famous families, in a new campaign starring actors Leslie Odom Jr. and Christina Ricci.

Themed "Make Merry together," ads are shot under the Christmas tree at the home of Odom, best known for his Tony Award-winning turn in "Hamilton," and his wife, actress Nicolette Robinson.

Ricci also appears in the ad, all glammed up with her husband, hair stylist Mark Hampton.

The Seattle-based department store says additional marketing aims to support those holiday sparks, "showing the real human connection through warm and intimate moments."

Other notables appear in the campaign, too, including comedian Lisa Gilroy, style influencers Mordechai and Sara Rubinstein, and outdoor enthusiast  Evelynn Escobar.

Photographer Jacob Pritchard shot the campaign, with photos and videos running across multichannel media throughout the season. And Nordstrom just launched The Thread, a new digital platform, which will run additional campaign content.

Nordstrom also unwrapped some other holiday surprises, including plenty of gifts at its Pop-In, with selections from Yowie's Shannon Maldonado, Bonberi's Nicole Berrie and Merci Milo's Caroline Rodrigues.

In-store gifting stations are set to launch the first week in November. The retailer is also once again teaming up with Balsam Hill to create realistic tree lots at select locations.

In a nod to the price pressures squeezing even higher-income shoppers, it's also dropping plenty of deals ahead of the holidays, especially in apparel.

Those include weekly drops from Topshop, Topman and ASOS, a new capsule collection from Vince, and a new collection from Alice & Olivia.

There’s also a big push on Nordstrom Made, its private label, with cashmere sweaters and soft goods that can be personalized in-store.

It wouldn't be a Nordstrom holiday without some style assistance, including a free personalized chat with a stylist–both virtually and in stores.

The retailer is also hosting a full calendar of in-store celebrations, such as kitchen tablescaping and home décor.  Merry Sips & Bites will be a daily offering of seasonal treats at its restaurants.

For families, holiday breakfasts offer food, kids' activities and music through December, with Santa occasionally making an appearance.

For $20, the Big Guy is willing to send a personalized, prerecorded video, guaranteed to land in their inbox by Dec. 21.

Nordstrom’s charitable components this year include burlap Santa Sacks priced from $9 to $30. Each purchase triggers a $1 donation to Good+ Foundation, which helps low-income parents. And shoppers can donate at the register for Operation Warm and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Canada, which provides winter coats to needy kids.

Additionally, Nordstrom is giving 1% of every gift card it sells to hundreds of nonprofits.