The 2026 John Lewis Christmas advert is finally here and the festive season has truly begun. It focuses on a grandma who is looking for the perfect gift for her two young grandchildren, with a little help from a Christmas present from her own childhood toy, Pickles the dog.
It was only released earlier today, (Tuesday November 3), but it’s already split opinion with shoppers. Commenting on the brand’s official Youtube page, one person wrote: “ Loved it, a gift means more than money in an envelope x its the thought that counts.” But, others disagreed. One person summarised the thoughts of many others when they simply said: “ Oh dear, not hit the spot this year .”
But, no matter what you think of it, the 2026 ad is the latest addition to the pantheon of John Lewis Christmas adverts, which have been looked forward to by many since 2007. Plenty of classics have come over the years and we all have our very own favourites.
But we took on the tough task of ranking every single one! From 2007 through to 2026, here is my thoughts on each and every one.
The 2026 Christmas advert - Don’t Give Up on Giving - is out now. You can watch it here.
5. 14 - Buster the Boxer (2016)
Controversially, I was underwhelmed by Buster the Boxer when it was first released in 2016. But it did follow two super iconic and super strong efforts - and it is more fun than profound/ life-affirming. Yet on rewatch it is charming and will probably make you smile, it is just not in the hallowed halls of John Lewis’ all time greats. Rating: 3 Jingle Bells. | YouTube/ John Lewis Photo: YouTube/ John Lewis
6. 13 - Moz the Monster (2017)
Featuring a charming message about tolerance, Moz the Monster is bound to be plenty of people’s favourite John Lewis advert. Personally, I don’t think it can compete with the top tier ones - and it suffers from stretching on a bit too long. But it is certainly not the worst one. Rating 3.5 Jingle Bells. | YouTube/ John Lewis Photo: YouTube/ John Lewis
7. 12 - An Unexpected Guest (2021)
It was a return to the tried-and-tested for John Lewis in 2021 with this advert firmly in the Monty the Penguin, Moz the Monster, template of a young child and an out of the ordinary friend involved in a Christmas adventure - this time in the form of an alien. It has a good cover song, but does feel a tad formulaic - even if the formula is charming. Rating 3.6 Jingle Bells. | YouTube/ John Lewis Photo: YouTube/ John Lewis
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8. 11 - Where the Love Lies (2025)
The 2025 effort from John Lewis was a decent go of things, but probably won't live long in the memory and won't be as fondly remembered as the true classics. It is a nice change of pace, focusing on the relationship between dads and sons - but it never truly pulls on the heartstrings in an effective way. 3.7 Jingle Bells | John Lewis Photo: John Lewis