HAVE A TEARY GOOD XMAS

WENT onto YouTube to see what all the fuss was about the John Lewis Christmas advert, The Boy And The Piano. Perhaps I watch the wrong programmes but I hadn’t seen it on TV.

It traces Elton John’s trip to stardom after receiving his first upright piano as a Christmas gift when he was a young boy.

Very effective, too, with a misty eyed Elton reflecting on the past.

Making the advert and the whole campaign cost a reputed £7 million.

Once on YouTube, I inevitably had a sneaky look at other festive adverts and really enjoyed Eric Clapton’s claymotion video of a very bluesy White Christmas, a track from his seasonal album. In a way, but with a much smaller budget, it shows how a young Clapton was inspired to play guitar when his mum and dad took him to a concert to see BB King, and subsequently became one of the world’s finest blues guitarists. Great track, but then I am a blues fan.

But the one that took my breath away is the two-and-a-half minute film Love Is A Gift that Phil Beastall, of Gloucestershire, made for £50 that isn’t selling anything except the spirit of Christmas.

It features actor Chris Ilston and voice actor Natalie Martins. It’s a story of love lost and remembered and has been viewed more than six-and-a-half million times.

Among comments are: “Brilliant story and the true meaning of Christmas” and: “John Lewis should definitely hire Phil Beastall for their future Christmas adverts.”

Google “Love Is A Gift” on YouTube and I guarantee you will have a tear in your eye.