‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!

Run the ads on scandal follies, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!

Not long ago, Jonathan Chait remarked on Twitter that those who engage personally with Ted Cruz get a much different and warmer sense of the top-tier Republican presidential hopeful. That’s true; I’ve talked with Cruz on a number of occasions, and he has a quick wit and a sometimes self-effacing sense of humor. The challenge for Cruz in this campaign has been to narrow the gap between his personal engagement style and his passionate persona on stage, perhaps especially in debates. At the time, I replied to Chait in agreement but also thought that Cruz was improving in that regard.

His latest ad may help. The 90-second spot, a faux commercial for a pretend book called “Cruz Christmas Classics,” will run tonight during Saturday Night Live, takes aim at an entire collection of Democratic scandals, such as Lois Lerner and the IRS, Hillary Clinton’s e-mail, underemployment in the Obama “recovery,” ObamaCare … and for good measure, a wicked but brief shot at former House Speaker John Boehner. (See if you can spot the wine glass and cigarette on a beloved Christmas figure — and the skin tone to boot.)

If you don’t want to stay up that late, watch it here now:

I’d include the script — the Cruz campaign sent it out in an e-mail blast earlier today — but it’s much more fun to watch the video instead. The Cruz campaign also offered a statement to IJ Review:

“In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, we are excited to bring a Cruz family Christmas into the homes of SNL viewers in Iowa. Ted is a long time fan of SNL, so the chance to film his own SNL-style commercial was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up!”

It’s a smart move — encroaching on media territory dominated by progressives and seen as a cultural signal by many. It will also air after tonight’s Democratic debate, when literally dozens of viewers will be looking for something entertaining to watch.

Also … cute family alert. But we already knew that.