It’s that time of year again where the John Lewis Christmas advertisement drops, and it’s another tear-jerker for UK audiences.
Long have we known that watching this yearly ad would bring us to tears, but it might have even topped its own standards this time.
Officially, we can now whack the tree up, deck the halls, and prepare ourselves for a merry ol’ time.
Last year, we were treated to a story of a young lad whose grow-your-own Christmas tree kit turned out to be a Venus flytrap.
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Okay, so that doesn’t sound Christmassy, but wait.
The boy picked up the plant at a local market while thinking he was about to grow the perfect Christmas tree, and the poor Snapper was then cast outside when the family bought a proper tree.
The beautiful moment came when the boy decided to include the Venus in their celebrations, regardless, with a touching little message about letting your traditions grow.
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Now, if that wasn’t enough, 2024’s John Lewis ad features a memory-strewn emotional story which sees a woman frantically buying a last-minute gift for her sister.
Titled The Gifting Hour, it tells the story of Sally, who is running into the retailer’s Oxford Street flagship store, which is the first time a John Lewis store has appeared in its own Christmas ad.
Poor Sally is in the shop just 15 minutes before closing time, and after frantically looking at things to choose, she falls through a rack of dresses and ends up in the attic of her childhood home.
Like a Narnia-esque dream, she then begins a journey through her memories of growing up with her sister as she continues to look for the perfect gift.
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Through their beautiful relationship growing up together, finally, she’s able to find something that can show her sister exactly how special she really is, when she’s thrown back into reality - and her sister appears to be outside of the store.
Sally and her sis then walk away, as the childhood version of the younger sibling is reflected in the John Lewis window.
It’s a beautifully touching story about revisiting the important times in life with those you love and remembering why they make your life so special.
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The two-minute TV advert ends with the perfect strapline: “The secret to finding the perfect gift? Knowing where to look.”
Ah, it’s exactly what you’d expect from a brand who makes us cry year after year.
John Lewis customer director Charlotte Lock told PA: “Our ad heroes the thoughtful gift-giver and celebrates ‘the gifting hour’, the moment when you go a little deeper in your heart and in our stores to find something really special and meaningful for the ones you love.
“Our shops are the beating heart of our brand and our customers love the ritual of Christmas shopping there – so we wanted to give the store a starring role in our ad for the first time.
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“This year the John Lewis Christmas advert features an original song rather than a cover track, and we’re offering the nation the chance to put their own stamp on it and become the ultimate cover star.”
Franki Goodwin, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, the company that created the ad, said: “We’ve all been there – time’s running out and you’re still looking for the perfect gift for someone in your life who’s impossible to shop for.”
It’s made even better with Richard Ashcroft, the former Verve frontman, providing the soundtrack with his song Sonnet from his Acoustic Hymns album, which switches up the usual cover-style music that John Lewis usually uses in their advertisements.
Now, the brand is holding a TikTok competition to find an aspiring artist to cover the song, for which Ashcroft and record label BMG are helping with.
Whoever wins will be able to record their own version of Sonnet, and it will feature in a special Christmas Day airing of the ad on TV, as well as being officially released by BMG.
All proceeds from the winning track will go to the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures programme to help ‘care-experienced’ people.
It’s just the gift that keeps on giving.
Britt Jones