One Day, I’ll . . . John Lewis Christmas Advert
Uses the John Lewis Christmas advert 2016 to reflect on ‘dreaming big’
by Claire Law
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To encourage us to consider what dreams we have and how we can best enjoy being alive.
Preparation and materials
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You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (John Lewis Advert 2016) and the means to display them.
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Have available the YouTube video ‘John Lewis Christmas Advert 2016 - #BusterTheBoxer’, which is 2.10 minutes long and is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr6lr_VRsEo
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Optional: you may wish to show the John Lewis Christmas adverts from the previous two years:
- from 2015, ‘Man on the Moon’, which is 2.10 minutes long and is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuz2ILq4UeA
- from 2014, ‘Monty the Penguin’, which is 2.10 minutes long and is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSU34BwObCQ -
Optional: if you wish to give a precise countdown to Christmas, this is available at: http://www.xmasclock.com/
Assembly
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Show Slide 1.
Ask the students how many days it is until Christmas. Ask them to guess how many minutes away it is. Listen to a few suggestions before giving the actual answer, available at: http://www.xmasclock.com/ -
At this time of year, some people say that the countdown to Christmas has officially begun because the John Lewis Christmas advert has been released. Over the last few years, this advert has become an annual event and talking point.
Show Slide 2.
The John Lewis Christmas advert from 2015, called ‘Man on the Moon’, considered the theme of loneliness at Christmas.
Optional: show the ‘Man on the Moon’ advert. It is 2.10 minutes long.Show Slide 3.
The John Lewis Christmas advert from 2014, called ‘Monty the Penguin’, considered the theme of kindness and giving special gifts at Christmas.
Optional: show the ‘Monty the Penguin’ advert. It is 2.10 minutes long. -
Show Slide 4.
This year’s advert is fun and upbeat. It features Buster the dog, who watches enviously as Bridget bounces up and down on her bed.
Show the ‘Buster the Boxer’ advert. It is 2.10 minutes long. -
As Bridget’s dad assembles her Christmas present, a trampoline, Buster watches intently. He continues to watch enviously as two foxes, a badger, a squirrel and even a hedgehog conduct a midnight test of the trampoline. On Christmas Day morning, Bridget sprints into the garden to use the trampoline for the first time. However, Buster runs faster and throws himself onto the trampoline before Bridget gets there! Watching him finally get the chance to bounce up and down brings a smile to our face and his.
Show Slide 5.
Buster finally got the chance to fulfil his dream! The soundtrack of the advert is the song ‘One day I’ll fly away’, which is performed by Vaults.
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Many of us have a special dream or wish that we would like to fulfil ‘one day’.
Show Slide 6.
I wonder what phrase or word you would use to finish this sentence: One day, I’ll . . .
You may wish to listen to a range of responses.
Suggestions may include:
- One day, I’ll . . . go scuba diving.
- One day, I’ll . . . graduate from university.
- One day, I’ll . . . learn to drive and buy my own car.
- One day, I’ll . . . travel the world.
- One day, I’ll . . . be famous. -
Sometimes, when we ‘dream big’, it can fill us with excitement and make us eager to strive towards our ambitions. At other times, it can make us feel despondent as we wonder whether some of our dreams are impossible to achieve. It is easy to get downcast and fearful about the future, to see the problems and difficulties that we may face if we dare to dream. However, this year’s John Lewis advert reminds us of the joy that we can feel when we have a go and move towards achieving our dreams.
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Let’s challenge ourselves today to be a bit more like Buster the boxer. To have big dreams and to do everything we can to fulfil that dream. Let’s also challenge ourselves to look for the fun that we can have in life and to have a go enthusiastically at any new challenges and opportunities that come our way. Buster manages to experience the feeling of being alive and living life to the full – let’s aim to do the same!
Time for reflection
Let’s take a moment to think about some of the dreams that we might like to have a go at ‘one day’.
Is there a place that you would love to visit one day?
Pause for reflection.
Is there a new experience that you would like to have?
Pause for reflection.
Is there a new activity that you would like to try?
Pause for reflection.
Is there something that you would love to be able to say to another person or to other people?
Pause for reflection.
Let us pause for a moment and think about our dreams and hopes for the world. Let us remember that our dreams and visions should not just be about us, but about our wider world and all humanity.
What is your hope for our world?
Pause for reflection.
What would you love to see happen for all human beings ‘one day’?
Pause for reflection.
What would it be like if we lived in a world where all people had the chance to experience the joy of living a life full of joy and adventure?
Pause for reflection.
What can we do to help achieve all our dreams?
Pause for reflection.
Prayer
Dear God,
You created us as human beings who can feel, experience and enjoy life.
We ask you today to inspire us to dream, hope and imagine wonderful things for the future.
We ask that you will help us not to be self-centred, but to work towards the hope of a world
where love, compassion, tolerance, hope, humility and justice rule.
We thank you for the example of a life lived fully and with love that we see in Jesus.
Amen.
