It’s officially that time of year, the annual John Lewis Christmas advert has been released to the world this morning.
November is here, the festive season is right around the corner, and now, after much speculation, department store retailer John Lewis has finally unveiled its 2021 Christmas advert – and of course, it’s another tearjerker.
It’s fair to say that the release of the John Lewis Christmas advert is an event the whole country waits for every year.
Over the years, we have seen a snowman on a mission to find a gift for his snow girlfriend, a friendship between a bear and a hare, and the heartwarming story of a the young girl who spots a lonely old man on the moon.
We’ve also had characters such as Monty the Penguin, Moz The Monster, and Excitable Edgar in recent years.
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But this year, it’s all about a young alien.
What happens when an #UnexpectedGuest lands in your forest? 🌠 You show them how Christmas is done, of course 🎄
Explaining the premise of this year’s advert, John Lewis said: “This year’s Christmas advert is the magical tale of 14-year-old Nathan, who discovers an unexpected guest and space traveller, Skye, has landed in the woods beside his home.
“As he introduces her to the season’s traditions, from decorating the tree to eating mince pies, their friendship develops and we see the magic of Christmas through the eyes of someone experiencing it for the very first time.”
The soundtrack – which is also often a big talking point of the annual adverts, with previous tracks storming up the charts – is a cover of Together In Electric Dreams, originally released by Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder in 1984.
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The track is performed by 20-year-old London singer and songwriter Lola Young.
Shoppers will be able to buy a version of the Christmas jumper that Nathan gives Skye, which costs between £14 and £29 – depending on size – with 10% of the profits going to the charities FareShare and Home-Start UK.
“There is nothing more magical than discovering the joy of Christmas for the first time and enjoying your favourite festive moments with loved ones,” said Claire Pointon, Customer Director at John Lewis.
“After the last 18 months, we wanted our advert to really celebrate this as we look forward to a brighter future.
“We know our customers are excited for this festive season more than ever, as they reconnect with family and friends [and] through the story of Skye and Nathan we celebrate friendship and are reminded of the joy of experiencing Christmas for the first time.”
The UK’s top 10 biggest Christmas ‘icks’ have been revealed
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s top 10 biggest Christmas ‘icks’ have been revealed, according to the results from a hilarious new survey.
Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also have its fair share of icks.
From tinsel on the tree, to cheesy Christmas jumpers, and everything in between, there are plenty of Christmas traditions that we simply love, and some we love to hate – and now, new research conducted by online retailer Haypp ahead of the festive season has revealed exactly what it is that Brits find the ickiest.
The research reveals that the number one ick is a controversial one – putting ketchup on a Christmas dinner, as nearly a third of respondents (32%) claim it makes them feel grim and that they’d judge someone for it.
Wearing Christmas jumpers is one of the UK’s biggest Christmas ‘icks’ Credit: Julia Larson (via Pexels)
It may cause controversy in a few households nationwide, the second biggest ‘ick’ is adults in matching festive pyjamas, with just under a third of Brits cringing, while some of the other similar traditions to this on the list being family photo Christmas cards, and wearing Christmas jumpers in public.
Elsewhere on the list, it was revealed that 27% of Brits find it unbearable to talk about politics over dinner, and lots of us don’t like it when others watch us open presents.
Around 18% also can’t stand it when people argue over festive games.
The UK’s top 10 Christmas ‘icks’
Having tomato ketchup on your Christmas dinner – 32%
Adults in matching pyjamas – 29.2%
Talking politics during dinner – 27.9%
Undoing your trousers at the dinner table – 24.4%
Leaving the dinner table to smoke – 23.2%
Everyone watching you open your presents – 20.4%
Being hungover on Christmas Day – 19.5%
Arguing over a game – 18.1%
Family photo Christmas cards – 15.2%
Wearing Christmas jumpers – 13.2%
Bad habits at the dinner table also feature heavily on the list, as a quarter of Brits hate it when people undo their trousers after the Christmas meal, and just over a fifth find it rude when someone leaves the table to go and smoke.
What’s your take then? How many of these ‘icks’ do you agree with? Are there any others you feel need adding to the list?
Featured Image – Karolina Grabowska (via Pexels)
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Lola Young shares first public statement since cancellations and stepping away from the spotlight
Danny Jones
UK pop star Lola Young has shared her first public statement since cancelling the remainder of her tour and stepping away from the spotlight.
Lola Young, 24, took a break from her still-burgeoning career after numerous concerning incidents on stage, including throwing up and even passing out in the middle of a performance.
The BRIT School graduate announced the unfortunate cancellation of her upcoming shows “for the foreseeable future”, including a gig here in Manchester, at the end of September.
Breaking her silence after the best part of three months, the London-born singer-songwriter took to social media in a fairly brief but heartwarming statement.
As you can see, the time away from the public eye certainly seems to have been beneficial, telling her followers that “it has helped more than you will ever know”.
In addition to embracing ADHD – even labelling her hit song ‘Messy’ as an “ADHD anthem” in multiple anthems – she was also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at just 17.
The latter can include symptoms such as psychosis, hallucinations, intense mood swings, bipolar mania, depression and more.
All that being said, we’re glad to hear that she’s on the mend; we saw her back in March, and you could tell from the crowd that she’s already got a very passionate cult following.
Both conditions and their associated obstacles have obviously affected her, but have equally helped influence her music and lyrical material, certainly, too.
Responding in the comments, fellow artist SZA wrote: “Love you, starfire angel. Your music is FULL of longevity and substance! We’re so grateful for you”.
Joining in support, ‘dark pop’ musician Carter James added, “Your wellbeing comes before anything. So excited for your next chapter whenever it arrives!”
We hope she’ll be doing better enough soon to get back on stage when she’s ready.
Emily Sergeant -
4th November 2021 
