The new John Lewis ad is its most marmite yet – here’s why I loved it
Forget animated characters, heart-tugging plots, and nostalgic covers, this year, John Lewis has delivered a Christmas ad that’s for me entirely relatable – a woman on a frantic hunt for the perfect last-minute gift for her sister.
Instead of the traditional tear-jerking approach, John Lewis have opted for something different this year and not everyone is on board. One user on X proclaimed, “That’s it, Christmas is ruined. The John Lewis ad is quite comfortably the worst one yet.” Another said, “It doesn’t quite have that John Lewis sparkle that past ads have had.” (Another argument was about the lack of male characters in the ad - but I’ll leave that to X to bicker over).
While it may not lean into the mass-market, emotional side of the season, this year’s ad makes a statement about the very real, practical side of Christmas. As a sister and self-proclaimed perfect gift-giver, I can relate to the struggle of finding the ideal present for someone who means so much to me. While some were outraged not to have been bawling by the end, I was most definitely in my feels.
This year, the ad follows a woman who rushes into the big John Lewis on Oxford Street in a desperate search for her sister’s Christmas gift. In her hurry, she discovers a whole other world behind a rack of festive dresses and finds herself transported—Narnia-style—through the clothings, back to her childhood home. Cue a sequence of nostalgic flashbacks of memories between she and sister throughout the years, set to Richard Ashcroft’s Sonnet, originally released in 1997 by his band The Verve. Sure, it’s not Elton John, but it’s beautiful.
There’s something undeniably touching about the shared memories between the sisters in the ad, I found myself smiling at many I recognised myself - and even rolling my eyes at a few. I know I’m not the only sister who can attest to how annoying it is to have your wardrobe constantly raided - I’ve still not forgiven my sister Aisha for stealing my green puffer vest and hiding it under her bed.
It was a memory I hadn’t thought about in years until I saw that ad - it made me laugh and want to speak to Aisha. After watching, I called her up and we shared a cry as we reminisced over the days we spent oscillating between bitter enemies and best friends, but always sisters.
This year’s John Lewis ad is subtle nod to those precious people who make Christmas feel like home. I might be in the minority here, but I’m sticking to my guns: this ad is one of my favourites from John Lewis. For me, it captures the everyday magic of human connection and companionship. And after all, isn’t that what Christmas is about? John Lewis is out here celebrating sisterhood and I’m all for it.
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