John Lewis has been making Christmas adverts for almost as long as I have been alive. Some of them are good, a lot of them are rubbish, and just about five of them are really quite great. I have scientifically ranked the top five based on how much they make me cry and how often my mum talks about them.
5- The Bear and the Hare
If you ask an average person their favourite John Lewis Christmas advert they’ll probably tell you they have no idea. But if you push them a bit for an answer, chances are they’ll eventually say, ‘probably that one with the bear in it.’ For some reason, this ad has stayed firmly in the public consciousness for a decade now, and for that it deserves some recognition. Perhaps it was the bear’s smile in awe of Christmas lights, or maybe it was simply Lily Allen Lily Allen-ing (vb. To be memorable, angelic.)
What did we learn?– If a humble hare can give personalised gifts, there’s no excuse for more bath sets or candles for your loved ones, unless they’re a massive Clean Linen enthusiast.
4- The Long Wait
Favoured by parents everywhere, the Long Wait sees a boy impatiently anticipating Christmas. He angrily watches ticking clocks, hoovers up his peas at dinner, and eventually runs to bed on Christmas Eve. He wakes up first thing the next morning and hurries to finally get what he’s been looking forward to- giving his mum and dad their clumsily wrapped gift. If you aren’t too put off by the incongruous cover of the ever-festive Smiths ‘Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want’, you will almost certainly shed a tear.
What did we learn?– Making mums cry will always work as a marketing strategy.
3- Man on the Moon
A lonely old man is, as a concept, enough to bring me to tears. Add in that he has been sent a telescope from a child who just wants to wave at him and I’m on the floor. The final shot is a single tear falling from his eye. I would’ve watched this as a full length feature, but I’ll take what I can get. This collaboration with Age UK also served a real, important purpose, and sticks with me all these years later.
What did we learn?– Call your grandparents.
2- The Beginner
It’s easy to be cynical about the John Lewis advert tradition. It is, after all, just trying to sell you stuff. Christmas is a consumerist nightmare whatever way you look at it, but this one is different. We follow a man trying to learn how to skateboard but failing repeatedly. He hurts himself, he falls off, he just can’t quite get the hang of it. Although initially played for laughs, there is a twist: he’s been learning to have something to chat to his new foster daughter about. The ad was made to spotlight John Lewis’ work with charities supporting children in care, and it manages to get its message across without being heavy-handed or preachy.
What did we learn?– Support the Building Happier Futures campaign!
1- Monty the Penguin
It is a pretty tight competition between the top two spots, and I’ll admit it was entirely determined by personal bias. Monty, the titular penguin himself, has a human best friend, but the boy begins to realise that despite loving his pet, he doesn’t really understand his world. He doesn’t yearn for the fresh fish of Antarctica, and he’s just not got the same knack for belly flopping down snowy hills. He notices Monty watching couples in films and at the park, and decides to fix it, getting him a lady penguin to fall in love with for Christmas. By this point I am usually already crying, but we’re not done yet. Monty is actually a stuffed animal, and his love story is all in the boy’s imagination. This twist is simple yet effective, and really does make me believe in the magic of Christmas.
What did we learn?– The real Christmas miracle was the penguins we met along the way.