To dislike to John Lewis Christmas ad?

[Peashoots]

I get the message behind it but I hated it. Not at all Christmassy, hated the song, hated the aesthetic, just don’t know what they were thinking?

I think the JL advert is great, and much truer to the spirit of Christmas than the usual ads.

Yeah good point. The literally point of christmas adverts is to promote their business, if it promotes awareness of a good cause at the same time then brilliant.

It's fantastic

Perfectly put, I really liked it.

@Peashoots I don’t mind Christmas ads that are touching, and make you cry happy tears. But this just made me feel sad about all the kids that are in care, but not enough to cry.

Which I think would be fine coming from a charity that’s looking to get more people to foster children or donate money.

But John Lewis are a shop that sells things to make people happy at Christmas. And for me I feel their role is to spread joy, not misery.

All brands want these days is something with ‘purpose’ to virtue signal even if it’s got nothing to do with their role in society. It’s utter bollocks to sell more stuff. A fun Christmas ad would be more honest.

What will next years be? A nativity donkey sent to the donkey sanctuary? Santa getting diagnosed with cancer? Or how about an ad about no Christmas lights due to the cost of living crisis?

I think it’s lovely. It’s a shame the song isn’t better but the message is perfect.

I thought the advert where the boy can’t wait for Christmas then it gets to Christmas Day and we discover it’s so he can give his gifts, not receive them was genius, but nothing will ever surpass monty the penguin for the beautiful song and vibe of the advert. This new advert is coming from a different angle though, and I think it really works.

I really like it. It’s message is so important & feels very Christmassy to me. I hate adverts focussed on buying tat & too much food.

Johnny Vegas is looking well.

How is it "Not at all Christmassy"? It's full of Christmas stuff, and it seems to me that it focuses on what is most important about Christmas. Good for JL.

I’m desperately trying not to be an argumentative asshole here. But I’ve failed. So here goes. As someone living at the pointy end of the care system structure in the UK, I am horrified that people think this advert ‘simplifies’ the situation of children and young people being moved into. There are 108,000 children in the UK care system. This advert represents some of the reality of a child being forcibly removed from everything and everyone that they know, no matter how potentially abusive or neglectful, and having to move into the home of total strangers, possibly with their hastily packed belongings shoved into bin bags. Domestic abuse, violence and neglect doesn’t just stop because Christmas happens. In fact, Christmas and the run up to it is one of the worst times for the above.

I find it shocking that all people can find to complain about is that the song is ‘rubbish’ or there aren’t enough Christmas trees or snow in the advert. Christmas is a time of terror and sadness for many thousands of children in this country.

I've always found Xmas ads promoting excess food and mountains of gifts vaguely obscene. I'm glad they're moving away from gluttony and materialism.

Nah, Kevin the carrot can fuck right off.

John Lewis/Waitrose have been doing a lot of work to support young care leavers too.

www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/media/press/y2022/lets-do-more-to-empower-care-leavers-to-thrive.html

Great choice of topic for the all important Christmas advert.

@EmmatheStageRat (great name) totally agree - Christmas can be so traumatic for young people and children in neglectful and abusive homes and for those removed from those homes or thrown out of them

Flagging up care experienced children and those for whom Christmas may be anything but jolly, filled with food, happy families, presents and joy is not anti Christmas - Christmas should be the time we do consider others

I thought it is rather gloomy but maybe I'm a bit sensitive as I'll be spending Christmas on my own. I can see that consumer madness is not appropriate this year but a little cheer would be nice. Better than the sodding carrot though.

The song I think is reflective of the skateboarder punk vibe. I liked it. It wasn't as cute and festive as previous years but a very important message.

JL have started a new programme where they employ care leavers, mentor them, provide them with practical help and support them in finding and keeping a place to live. It’s improving their life chances. This is absolutely JL at their very best.

Why don’t these huge corporations abandon all adverts at Christmas and donate the many millions to
Shelter, for example, it’s obscene

I love the John Lewis one. An ad that's actually meaningful for a change rather than just about buying more stuff.

If this advert just inspires one person to do something thing that benefits children in care, be that donations to a charity, volunteering or even think about fostering themselves, then it has been a success.

There are uplifting ads we will see, fine, but to complain that the JL ad is depressing is depressing in itself.

Have just watched it. I think it's heartwarming and a wonderful change to the usual superficial, jolly Xmas crap we have to endure.

Same reason shelter don't sell their central London offices and donate the money to homeless people.

Totally agree.

I liked the one from a few years back with the fox and hedgehog and squirrel on the trampoline at night …even though squirrels are diurnal it was lovely, and made me 🥲I think the song was Randy Crawford ‘one day I’ll fly away’ (from memory)

I feel ripped off by the asda one as ALL asda are not decorated like that not even at the door.

John Lewis I loved as I’ve fostered and it’s horrible for the kids involved at any time of the year. This highlights some of the struggles both sides have.