♪ (ragtime music) ♪
♪ (gentle instrumental music) ♪
- ♪ I would like to leave this city ♪
- So she's looking through a telescope. - ♪ And when I leave this planet ♪
- (gasps) She sees the man in the moon.
- ♪ ...just can't stand it ♪
♪ And I can feel the warning sign ♪
- Oh, yeah, that's awesome.
- This is probably for Walgreens or Walmart or something.
- ♪ You can't give me the dreams that are mine anyway ♪
- I like that girl.
- She's sending a message.
- Keep after it, kid.
- Very sweet.
- ♪ Half a world away ♪
- Oh, getting ready for Christmas.
That's what they're all waiting for.
- Oh, she's so cute!
- Oh god, that's so sad.
- Oh, look at that.
- Sent by drone or sent by balloon?
- (touched) Oh.
- Oh.
- ♪ I've been lost, I've been found ♪ - That's nice.
- Oh my goodness.
It's a telescope to watch her!
- (touched) Oh.
- That's sweet. Very sweet, oh.
- Oh... (sniffles)
- Oh, that's very powerful.
- That was nice.
- "In store: John Lewis." Never heard of that company.
- I felt like waving back to her. (laughs)
- How come the man in the moon is an old white guy?
I mean, come on! What's the deal on that?
♪ (cheerful music) ♪ (boy giggles)
- (laughs) He's got a pet penguin.
- ♪ All my little plans and schemes ♪ - Oh, check it out.
(chuckles)
- ♪ Just like little girls and boys ♪ - Check out the duck.
- (penguin squawks) - Not very good at soccer, but cute.
- I love this penguin.
(laughing)
- Is it a real penguin or is it a toy penguin?
- That's sorta like having an imaginary friend.
- ♪ Don't need to be alone ♪ - Hmm.
- He likes the romance. How about that?
- ♪ Don't need to be alone ♪ - Is the penguin imaginary?
- The penguin's looking at a hot date going there.
- He needs a lady penguin.
- The penguin needs a girlfriend or a boyfriend... or company.
- It's Christmas time! (cooing)
(laughing)
- (chuckling) There she is.
- There's family and I found love.
- Heh.
- Oh, that's sweet. Oh, they're toys.
- (giggling) Oh god.
These are really tear-jerkers, aren't they?
- You don't make that kind of commercial anymore.
- That was clever. I liked that one.
- Two corny commercials. (laughs)
- That comes close to bringing a tear in my eye.
(movie reel clicks)
- (Finebros) So how do these advertisements make you feel?
- In the spirit for the holidays.
- It tugged at my heart strings!
- I liked them. I thought they were done very tastefully.
- It was heart-touching. It's that part of Christmas,
how much you love people.
- Christmas and animals and children.
My three favorite things! (laughs)
- (Finebros) So these were made by a company called John Lewis.
Have you ever heard of that company? - No.
- No.
- No, I haven't.
- I have never heard of John Lewis Company.
- I know I've seen the name but I was trying to place
where I knew the name from.
- (Finebros) So they're a big department store
in the United Kingdom. - Oh.
- (Finebros) And since 2007, they make an annual Christmas commercial
and it's become a tradition in the UK,
waiting to see what John Lewis's advertisement will be.
- Really? Oh my.
- (Finebros) What do you think about a store's commercial
that is resonating with so many people that they're waiting
for an ad to come out? - Well, I think it's fabulous.
- I think it's great.
- I think it's silly.
Usually, when commercials come out, we hit mute.
- I think that's pretty good advertising.
- It shows that a lot can be done with a commercial.
And now I'll remember the name John Lewis.
In fact, my niece lives in England, so I'm gonna ask her about it.
- I don't think that's such a surprise.
I think people do that a lot.
People are looking for the traditions and those moments
that make memories.
- (Finebros) Do you feel like there's anything
that even compares to that in the United States?
- No, I don't think there's any.
- I don't think so.
- A Budweiser commercial.
- Budweiser commercials.
I always wanna see what their Super Bowl commercial is.
- Well, the only one I remember years ago--
and here's a plug for Coca-Cola-- when they did the one with the polar bear.
- I think if the ad was made here in the States,
they would get to the commercial part faster.
- (Finebros) So the holiday season brings up a lot of feelings for people.
What does this time of year mean to you?
- Oh, I like the holiday season. It's-- It's fun.
- It brings up memories and you make memories
and people tend to be a little bit better behaved.
I like that part.
- I really enjoy watching other people enjoy it.
That's the big thing for me.
- I think Christmas is lovely, but it's very sad too.
Especially if you're alone or someone in your family's gone.
- For some reason, I always tell my sister,
"Why do I always feel sad during Christmas?"
It's because I remember my parents, grandparents,
and the fun days we used to have before. It's different.
- (Finebros) Does the way you feel about the holidays now
in your life different than when you were younger?
- Yeah, as a kid I think everything was, "(in wonder) Oh, wow!"
You know? But as I got older, maybe I got a little jaded.
It's, "Meh... so what?"
- When I was younger, it's all about, "What do I get?"
- And now it's all about, "What can I give?"
The real true joy of it is in what you give out.
- It was really nice when we had younger children in the family.
Just the whole anticipation for them
of getting together with the family was very, very nice.
Now it's like, "(sighs) Give them a gift card."
- (Finebros) So back to these commercials,
they're supposed to be sentimental, but they do get criticized
for using emotional sentiment as a way to push mass consumerism.
What are your thoughts about that? - Uh, yeah.
People are easily taken in.
- But isn't that what Christmas is about now? (laughs)
I think there's merit in a certain respect.
What is the commercial for? To sell something.
- Oh, not that again!
In this world today, because of the Internet
and all the communications we have, everybody's complaining about everything!
- Would they rather be hit over the head with a baseball bat?
"Go to the store and buy stuff!
Go to the store! Go buy!" I mean, come on!
You know, people are always gonna be critical of whatever.
I liked them.
- (Finebros) So these ads do very well for this department store,
and because of that they partner with other charities
to give money away every year.
So this season's campaign features an elderly man on the moon,
and so the charity they're partnering with
is a company very specifically that provides services
and support for the elderly.
Has that been an issue that you've seen that,
as you and your friends get older, you find yourself alone
during the holidays? - Oh, of course.
You outlive all your friends. That's already starting to happen to me.
- Yes. We used to have dinner together with my children.
But, you know, they have their own families.
- There's so many people with dementia.
They don't even know what day and time it is.
They lose that connection.
- Ah, that's very true, living in a senior building.
A lot of them are very, very lonely.
It's good to know that there are organizations out there
that care about us.
- I can hardly talk about this, but I was just last night
with a friend of mine who is very, very old. He's 94.
And he was like, "How did I get so old?"
And I just... (tearfully) you know?
I think when it's a holiday like Christmas,
it just exacerbates the feelings of loneliness.
- When I was visiting my mother in the facility for Alzheimer's,
it was so sad at Christmas because you'd go for Christmas
and the only people there were the people who worked there.
As you age, you become less valuable to society,
which is kind of an odd way to look at it
because, as you age, you really become more valuable
because you have some wisdom and knowledge that you didn't have.
- (Finebros) So finally, do you think that this store
should continue this tradition and make these types of advertisements
every year? - Oh, of course!
- Absolutely.
- I guess if the people in England like it.
- I think they should.
Why not give some nice feeling out there?
- Go for it. I would watch one every year.
- Definitely. They're really, really good.
- Let's show the real humane, soft side of the holiday season.
There's still lots and lots of good in this world.
- Thanks for watching another episode of Elders React.
- Be sure to subscribe. We have new videos every week.
- Bye-bye for now, and have a wonderful holiday.
- Happy Holidays to everyone, and hope to see you soon.
- Bless you all.
♪ (ragtime music) ♪