By Victoria Taylor | Creative Director, Beast
Why Has the John Lewis vs M&S Christmas Advert Battle Caused So Much Debate?
Why has the annual Christmas advert battle between M&S and John Lewis caused so much opinion this year?
John Lewis Christmas Advert 2026: Where Did It Go Wrong?
My WhatsApp groups have been on fire in the past 12 hours with opinions on the Christmas adverts this year. This has never happened before. So why? One of the main points of conversation seems to be class. The John Lewis advert seemed to enrage a lot of people because it felt too ‘upper class’. Some saw the grandmother, played by Kristin Scott Thomas, in her lavish house as upper class; some saw her very much as middle class. As the conversation spiralled, our French friend commented on how obsessed we are with the class system in the UK to begin with – apparently this is not the case in France. Which may be true, and may be why these big ad campaigns can hit the mark, or not, when they do or don’t reflect the audience properly. As one of my friends highlighted, “the problem is they have set themselves up as the voice of the nation at Christmas”. It doesn’t matter what class you’re from: everyone awaits the John Lewis Christmas advert, and everyone wants to enjoy it.
Why the John Lewis Christmas Advert Missed the Mark
This is not the only issue.
The unruly, entitled grandchildren. Yes, we all know what family time can really mean at Christmas – but do we want to see those warts at the beginning of the season? No. We want something that makes us feel warm inside, something that makes us forget what reality might actually look like on Boxing Day, when the presents have been opened, no one got what they wanted, everyone is slightly hungover, we’ve already gained 2lbs and more family are arriving, which means more cooking and even more washing up.
I think the overall tone has just missed the mark. The grandkids don’t hug her on arrival, they’re bouncing on the couch, which the parents seem to think is OK, and then they go ransacking her office and her vinyl collection, which I’m sure is quite precious to her. Again, it just leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth.
The Problem with the John Lewis Christmas Advert’s Message About Gifts
And then we have the problem of the eventual gifting. Firstly, many of us reach for the tenner and the card. Please don’t make us feel bad about it. We’ve got enough to worry about over Christmas without having to dig deep and find some clever present that surprises and delights another human being from an entirely different generation.
It also doesn’t appear to make sense that after Grandma takes a trip into town to find a present, she ultimately comes back with nothing – and instead creates what someone online called a ‘tinsel panic room’. So are we saying that she couldn’t find a present in John Lewis, so she had to go to Hobbycraft instead?
How Could the John Lewis Christmas Advert Have Been Better?
One of the biggest problems with this advert is that there is no twist, and the gifting and effort are all one-sided, from Grandma. Not once are we surprised as an audience. Even though she is being given a hard time by the family, they are never redeemed by a thoughtful, selfless gesture to show her how much they appreciate her – especially at Christmas.
What we needed to see was perhaps the grandchildren making a grotto for her. When Grandma goes out to find a present, instead of wrecking her record collection, the grandchildren could have decided to get creative, encouraged by the parents, and made a Christmas grotto for her. When Grandma returns, they could have enjoyed the time together, and maybe then the kids open their presents in the grotto. It’s a moment of equal sharing, where everyone has spent time thinking about the other person.
The John Lewis Christmas Advert Toy: A Missed Opportunity
There was a lot of potential for a retro toy to become something quite special. But again, the choice of toy and its place in the story have left it completely forgettable. In fact, I almost forgot to mention it here. Why? It has no character. It’s faceless. There is no connection. In fact, the toy’s main job is to deliver lines like “you can do better than that” and “you want them to like you, don’t you”. What are we saying? That you have to buy an expensive present for your entitled grandchildren for them to like you? For me, this is so far off the Christmas spirit, it’s tone deaf.
M&S Christmas Advert 2026: What Did They Get Right?
So when M&S went live this morning, my WhatsApp group fired up again. One of my friends said, “Why is it that everyone on social media was outraged by KST’s home in the John Lewis advert, but no one minds about the huge mansion and feast in the M&S ad?”
And that is a good question. The M&S advert is indeed very lavish in parts. Halfway through the story, a woman in a certainly ‘middle class’ (some might argue upper class) borough of London hosts a Christmas dinner. But before we enter the house, she is outside, where she invites Santa in, not knowing who he is. She effectively has an open house. The point is that all are welcome. The lavish spread is laid out for sharing – and this is what I mean about tone. Santa, played by the wonderful James Norton, is experiencing Christmas for the first time from the other side of the ‘beard’, and on his journey he encounters numerous moments where the warmth, generosity and Christmas spirit we all look for in an advert are fully flexed. The tone is warm and welcoming, like a hot chocolate and a mince pie in front of the fire.
Why the M&S Christmas Advert Works So Well
Because let’s face it, Marks and Spencer smashed it this year – so big congratulations to the creative agency behind it, Mother. Firstly, they had a great idea. Father Christmas wanted to experience Christmas for the first time not as himself, but from the other side of the fence. Great. Lots of opportunity to showcase Christmas moments and, let’s face it, products at their best. Friends, family, feasting, gifting, sharing… the list goes on. I don’t think the product showcasing is bad either. I think lots of people actually enjoy being given gifting ideas this way.
Then there is the casting. Personally, I think they excelled here. James Norton was the perfect choice… as do all the mums, and dads, in my WhatsApp group! I think Lucy Punch as Mrs Claus was also bang on. We all know her as the struggling divorcee we feel a bit sorry for in Motherland and Amandaland, and although she plays a different character here, there is still a clever connection we can’t help but be reminded of. She’s relatable.
M&S Christmas Advert: Getting the Christmas Spirit Right
Marks and Sparkle. I’ll say it time and time again: brands, please don’t let us down on delivering the Christmas spirit. You know we will never get a white Christmas; the only way that’s going to happen is if you give us one. So M&S opening on reindeer antlers, with the snow falling and the cabin in the background… you have my attention, you have my imagination and now my heart. Thank you.
M&S Christmas Advert Music: Belinda Carlisle and the Power of Nostalgia
The more retro the better, I say. With the resurgence in all things retro recently, from coloured Christmas lights to people going back to CDs, a good old 80s pop song reimagined with some Christmas bells is hitting the spot for everyone from Gen Z right up to millennials. Everyone seems to be loving an 80s throwback at the moment, partly thanks, I think, to Stranger Things and Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’. There is something about nostalgia that takes us away from the looming super El Niño and stockpiling for the end of the world. A good old 80s track takes us straight back to a time when things felt a bit less chaotic and complicated, and who doesn’t want a bit of that?
John Lewis vs M&S: Who Won the Christmas Advert Battle in 2026?
So congratulations to M&S, the clear winners of this year’s Christmas advert battle. I will certainly enjoy seeing it pop up on my screen over the next seven weeks.
The Best John Lewis Christmas Advert? The Snowmen Love Story (2012)
I will say, though, that no one has quite topped the 2012 John Lewis Christmas commercial, the snowman love story. It is just so perfectly written: a hero’s struggle for love, and a simple gift. And of course that incredible version of ‘The Power of Love’, Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s song sung by Gabrielle Aplin. I guarantee it will have you in tears every time. Well done, adam&eve.
