The new John Lewis Christmas advert is maybe their most tear-jerking yet

10 November 2022, 09:37 | Updated: 16 November 2022, 16:24

John Lewis release 'The Beginner' Christmas advert for 2022

"It’s the things we do that mean the most. 🛹 "

As well as trees, turkey and roasting chestnuts on an open fire, there are some more recent institutions that have become Christmas traditions.

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Near the top of the list is a festive John Lewis advert that often has us bawling our eyes out, and the 2022 Christmas ad is perhaps the brand's most tear-jerking yet.

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In recent years the company has mixed up its formula – it's not all been wall-to-wall breathy slowed-down covers of bouncy pop classics.

For 2022, they've used an existing track: a loungey cover of Blink-182's 'All The Small Things by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox ft Puddles Pity Party.

And while some John Lewis adverts have been more heartwarming than others over the years, we're all in on this year's film, called The Beginner.

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The advert focuses on a middle-aged man who is struggling to get to grips with skateboarding, picking up several lumps, bumps and breaks.

It's not clear why on earth he's putting himself through this. A bet? A mid-life crisis? At the end of the ad there's a knock at the door and we get the big reveal.

Accompanied by a woman holding a folder, a young, nervous-looking girl is at the door, skateboard in hand.

She spots the man's skateboard in the hallway, and he gestures to his bandaged wrist.

"Oh, I skate a bit too," he smiles.

The ad then tells us that over 108,000 children in the UK are in the care system, and that John Lewis is making a commitment to supporting the futures of young people from care by working with Action for Children and Who Cares? Scotland.

You can read more about the Building Happier Futures programme here.