The chaotic 2023 John Lewis advert is here and it stars a hungry Venus fly trap

The much-anticipated John Lewis Christmas advert for 2023 has finally arrived and it’s a departure from the usual tear-jerker in favour of a lighter feel.

For many Christmas fans, the season officially begins when the retail giant’s Christmas advert is released. Now, after a small teaser, we have finally been treated to the full version.

It centres around a young boy named Alfie, who sees a “Grow Your Own Perfect Christmas Tree” kit and asks his Gran if he can have it.

When he opens the box, there’s a seed inside which he plants and continues to watch and nurture as it grows into a giant, moving Venus flytrap called Snapper.

Despite the family being wary of the Venus flytrap, which at one point has their pet Chihuahua in its sights, they see how much it means to Alfie and embrace the new tradition by getting Snapper to help open their presents on Christmas morning.

John Lewis

The advert is soundtracked by an upbeat song called 'Festa', which means “celebration”. It is sung by the opera tenor legend Andrea Bocelli and written and produced by Le Feste Antonacci.

Speaking about his involvement, Bocelli explained he was “delighted to take part in this wonderful and unique tradition of Christmas storytelling”.

Charlotte Lock, customer director at John Lewis, told the BBC the retailer “asked for something that moved us on from last year and was different”, adding that this year’s theme was to show that, “It's not the tradition itself that matters, it's how it brings together families and loved ones”.

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