John Lewis Christmas advert 2024 review: 3 reasons why I love The Gifting Hour

• The Gifting Hour is triumphant and well worth the wait. 
• It might just be as good as my personal favourite - Monty the Penguin. 
• These are three reasons why I love it. 

John Lewis is back with a fantastic ode to siblings and Christmas nostalgia. The highly anticipated festive advert has certainly lived up to the hype - for me at least. 

Arriving slightly later in the month, the retail giant had given its rivals plenty of runway to show off their own seasonal commercials. Including John Lewis’ sister company Waitrose, which has produced a ‘whodunnit’ style two-part mystery with an all-star cast. 

Tesco has also certainly stepped up to give John Lewis a run for its money, but now the company has actually dropped its 2024 effort - it has once again proved why it is the king of Christmas adverts. It is a brilliant effort and I actually found myself getting emotional watching it. 

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It channels the magic of Narnia 

The advert starts with a woman running into the John Lewis store on Oxford Street just before closing time. She is trying to find a last minute gift for her sister and when she goes to the rack of clothes, suddenly she is transported into a world of nostalgia - stepping out of a wardrobe. 

It evoked memories of watching that Chronicles of Narnia film in cinemas at Christmas with my family - all the way back in the 00s. And it makes for a really strong start. 

Captures manic vibe of Christmas shopping 

In my family, growing up at least, we used to have a tradition where the last weekend before Christmas we would all head into town - me, my mum, my dad and my brother - to do our shopping. Then we would split off into pairs, buying some gifts then swapping into a different pairing. 

A feeling that always stuck with me on those trips was the sense of manic energy around the shops. People had a bit of a wild, almost panicked look in their eyes as they attempted to finish their Christmas shopping and secure the perfect (or at least adequate) gifts. 

The advert really manages to channel that feeling into something special. Taking the feeling of being overwhelmed in the festive period and making it into a sprinkling of magic. 

I have embedded the advert from YouTube just below, so you can watch it as well. Please give it a moment to load in. 

Makes me nostalgic in the best kind of way 

Nostalgia gets a bit of a bad wrap - it can often be seen in a negative light. But when something captures that fizzy feeling of joyful days past, it can be just wonderful. 

As the sister rushes back through memories of her life to find inspiration for a present, I found myself also beginning to recall moments through the year with my own brother. Snap shots of Christmases gone by - playing the new Dragon Ball game I’d got together and his annoying knack at managing to beat me the first time we played. 

It is an advert that makes you feel - and it doesn’t feel overly manipulative. You can’t see the strings of the puppet master at work. 

The Gifting Hour is perhaps my favourite John Lewis advert since Monty the Penguin - which as someone who deeply loves penguins, that is saying something. I can’t wait to see it on TV over the Christmas season and get the warm, gooey, feeling of nostalgia flowing through my brain each time. 

Rating: 4.95 Jingle Bells - only slight criticism is the song is often lost in between the moments of dialogue. 

What do you think of the advert? Share your thoughts by emailing me: [email protected].