Oh, they grow up so fast. The John Lewis Christmas advert, the sickeningly British festive institution, has just turned 18. In that time, we’ve had eight prime ministers, two monarchs and 19 seasons of Strictly Come Dancing. Its success has been down to its foolproof formula: impossibly saccharine, a little bit sad and unbelievably sparkly. To really get the tears flowing, the JL advert must – and I repeat, must – have a twinkly, slowed-down piano ballad cover version of a nostalgic hit from a boomer’s youth (preferably sung by Elton John, or Richard Ashcroft, or Ellie Goulding). Bonus points for using an adorable five-year-old and/or an anthropomorphic animal as the protagonist. Anyone remember that lonely elderly man trapped living on the moon (2015)? Or the misunderstood boxer dog with a passion for trampolines (2016)?
This year, though, the John Lewis advert might just be too grown-up. They’ve stripped away the lovable fictional characters, Up-style elderly people and Santa Clauses and gone full Adolescence as we watch an emotionally repressed teenage boy trying to connect with his dad. We just might learn something, though.
We meet a headphone-wearing teenager who is scrolling on his phone on Christmas Day. The focus shifts to his wearied dad, who is performing the most festive task ever: clearing up discarded wrapping paper from the floor. Mid-tidy, he finds an unopened present addressed to “Dad”, and inside is a vinyl record of Alison Limerick’s Nineties club classic “Where Love Lives”. The son nervously watches on as his dad approaches the record player, drops the needle and closes his eyes. He’s transported back to a party from his heyday.
At the rave, the dad is grooving in a crowded, sweaty warehouse when he spots his son across the room. The partygoers disappear, and the pair are left alone to confront the distance between them. The music changes to a sentimental acoustic version of “Where Love Lives” (by British singer-songwriter Labrinth). Here’s the real twist – and bear with me – the son becomes a toddler again, taking his first steps towards his dad, and then becomes a newborn baby, cradled in his father’s arms. We arrive back at the present day and the pair share a teary hug – one that, it seems, is well overdue. (The tagline brings us back to the retail reality: “If you can’t find the words, find the gift.”)
Who knew that the John Lewis advert could verge on becoming a form of societal commentary (even if it is subtly suggesting we fix broken family bonds with a Lynx gift box)? It’s completely topical – thanks to the success of the record-breaking series Adolescence, about a boy indoctrinated by misogynistic social media influencers, which thrust the masculinity crisis into national conversation earlier this year. Really, nothing feels more 2025 than a comment on the state of boyhood. Sure, it’s watered down, but if you really read between the lines of this advert, it’s fairly meaningful.
Granted: a John Lewis advert being this on-the-nose feels odd. It’s a complete break from tradition that may shock its most loyal purists. Bring back the silly creatures, jingle bells and Ellie Goulding vocals, they might say. But if this advert brings two family members that little bit closer, or inspires someone to have a long-overdue conversation, we’ll let John Lewis go off script. Just this once.
