To be clear, I don’t hate the John Lewis Christmas advert(s), I hate the hype that precedes their launch each year and it’s been going on for so long, that resenting these adverts before they air has become ingrained in my very being.
Once upon a time, over on a blog before this one, way before blogging was cool, I used to round up and review all the Christmas adverts, and that little annual tradition of mine continued over here in 2014, 2015 and 2016. A tradition I loved and still love, but I feel that the John Lewis Christmas advert kind of killed it off as it overtook everything else. A bit like how the winner of the X Factor stole the Christmas number one slot for many years until the rest of the music industry finally rebelled and told it to fuck off.
My earliest memory of the John Lewis Christmas advert is the 2010 ‘She’s always the woman’ which at the time I remember really enjoying, probably more so for it’s sound track.
In the years since, as I wrote in those Christmas advert posts, John Lewis seemed to not only get cocky with their king of the Christmas advert title, but also seemed to really go out of their way to make viewers cry. I would have coped with this if it wasn’t for the stupid viewers who in their thousands fell over themselves trying to be the one who could declare the most about how much the stupid adverts made them cry which, -excuse the pun- bored me to tears. I mean just bore off.
Buster the Boxer, John Lewis’ 2016 Christmas advert entry was brilliant and I loved it. I rejoiced in everyone else’s disappointment in how it lacked emotion and no one was able to update their Facebook status in the usual way. This advert was fun and temporarily broke their typical Christmas advert formula.
John Lewis Christmas Advert 2022
Usually I wait to see all the Christmas adverts organically on TV, I like the experience of spotting them among the hum drum of a typical ad break. But at the time of writing, we are between service providers and relying entirely on catch up which has ruined the Christmas advert joy for me this year *shakes fist at the TV*.
As per, ahead of viewing this year’s advert, I see articles and social media posts saying how sad it is so even though I am hardened emotionally to their advertising, I am willing to feel the feels. However, the 2022 John Lewis Christmas advert is not in the least bit sad, or Christmassey. It is a lovely advert with a lovely ending that hits home, but it’s not a Christmas advert.
Call me old fashioned and I do totally get that messaging needs to not be super fluffy at this time of year because life is getting tough for all of us, some more so and absolutely awareness and support needs to be shared across the board. But Christmas is also the time to try and forget those things, or at least push to the back of our minds a little.
It’s a time for family, for joy, for decorations and tacky lights, for carols, for gifting. I live for the afternoon Channel 5 Hallmark Christmas films that are so bad they’re brilliant. I need that in my Christmas adverts, I need to be reminded about how fun this time of year can be. I need to see snowy landscapes, and Christmas trees, and children giddy in anticipation of Santa’s visit.
I don’t want sadness, because I have that in my reality as December approaches. I don’t want to be sad when I am looking for escapism, I don’t want to be sad for my children who are in those very very early years of learning how magical Christmas can be. I want to lose myself in Christmas crap that I pull out of the garage each year.
For me, I am still wholeheartedly trying to cling onto the idea that it’s not Christmas until I see the Cocoa Cola advert on TV but even I have to resign at some point reluctantly and admit that actually, John Lewis have probably got this in the bag now, sort of.
The John Lewis Christmas advert has become it’s own event in its own right. People look forward to it, they enjoy the experience of knowing it’ll probably make them cry, and honestly, is this so bad? It’s not, but I’ll still go out of my way to tell you that it’s just not for me. Try harder next year JL.
Until next time x