In recent years the John Lewis Christmas advert has become as much a part of the festive season as tinsel, turkey and The Queen’s Speech.
And it’s no surprise that anticipation is running high for this year’s effort, with the retailer having wrested every possible emotion out of us with their tearjerking and hilarious efforts over the past decade.
We have no idea what awaits us this year – as ever, it’s a closely guarded secret – but with previous John Lewis Christmas ads having debuted around early to mid-November we’re guessing it’s only a matter of time before we find out.
In the mean time, let’s take a look back at the John Lewis Christmas ads which have charmed us over the past decade, and ask the question – which of them is the best of all?
It’s time to get nostalgic…
Sweet Child O’Mine (2009)
The first John Lewis ad to be produced by the Adam & Eve/DBB agency (who have produced them ever since), this simple but effective ad shows a bunch of excited kids unwrapping ‘grown-up’ Christmas gifts – laptops, Kindles and the like – with the tagline ‘Remember how Christmas used to feel? Give someone that feeling.’ Cute.
A Tribute To Givers (2010)
The first John Lewis Christmas ad to use the Elton John classic Your Song – albeit covered here by Ellie Goulding – features a bunch of people going to extreme lengths to hide Christmas gifts from their friends and loved ones before the big day. All of which culminates in a young boy hanging a brim-full Christmas stocking outside his pet dog’s kennel (at which point our hearts basically burst).
The Long Wait (2011)
The first year in which John Lewis’s festive ad told an actual story, and it was a heartwarming one, as a young boy grows increasingly impatient for Christmas to come – not so that he can get his own gifts but in order to surprise his parents on Christmas morning with the one he’s bought them. All set to a cover of The Smiths’ Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want by Slow Moving Millie. We’re not crying, you are.
The Journey (2012)
Another heartstring-tugger, this time set to Gabrielle Aplin’s cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s The Power Of Love, and telling the story of a snowman who makes a treacherous journey across mountains and busy roads to deliver his Christmas gift of a hat, scarf and gloves to his ‘snow-girlfriend’.
The Bear And The Hare (2013)
Lily Allen covered Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know for this animated effort in 2013, with the titular bear and hare shown as best friends walking together until the wintry weather forces the former into hibernation. The hare’s left alone for Christmas, until he hits upon the idea of buying the bear an alarm clock as a gift – meaning he wakes up and is able to enjoy the festivities. Awwwww.
Monty The Penguin (2014)
After making us all cry the previous year, 2014 was a more light-hearted offering about a boy whose best friend is a penguin called Monty (a stuffed toy which he imagines to be real). Cue happiness when he gets a female penguin under the Christmas tree to keep Monty company. All soundtracked to Tom Odell’s cover of John Lennon’s Real Love.
The Man On The Moon (2015)
John Lewis’ most tearjerking effort yet came in 2015, as a lonely old man sat by himself on the moon receives an unexpected gift from a young girl who’s spotted him back on earth. With singer Aurora singing a cover of Oasis’ Half The World Away on the soundtrack the ad was certainly well loved, but spawned a whole string of parodies, most notably from the folks at Aldi.
Buster The Boxer (2016)
The closest thing John Lewis have done to a comedy ad came in 2016, when the country met Buster The Boxer – who just couldn’t resist a play on the new trampoline his owner just got for Christmas. The soundtrack was Vaults’ cover of One Day I’ll Fly Away and the reception to the ad was strong – in fact even dogs loved it.
Moz The Monster (2017)
Directed by Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind’s Michel Gondry, this charming effort told the story of Moz The Monster and the little boy he befriended – although their late-night antics took their toll on his sleep. Until Moz hit upon the idea of buying him a night light for Christmas, and all was well. The song, meanwhile, once again had a Beatles connection, with Elbow covering their classic track Golden Slumbers.
The Boy And The Piano (2018)
Who can have forgotten last year’s effort from John Lewis, starring Sir Elton himself and causing them to change their West End store name to simply ‘John’ during the run-up to the festive season. With Elton singing Your Song through the decades, working backwards through his career to the moment his mum bought him a piano for Christmas when he was just a nipper, it had some people criticising it for ‘not being about Christmas’ but others loved it. Now all they have to do is follow it up…
Now, the question is – which of these ads is the best? Cast your vote in the poll below, and we’ll reveal the results in a week’s time.
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