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MEET father christmas
We just love to see the joy on your kids’ faces when they see Santa Claus. And don’t worry – we reckon all the children are on the “Nice” list this year, so they’ll receive an extra-special LEGO® gift! Or, for the younger kids out there, a gift from the DUPLO® range. We haven’t forgotten the dogs, either: your very good boy or girl will get tasty Rosewood Cupid & Comet festive treats. Kids will be welcomed in by Santa’s elves (fun fact – John Lewis is the biggest employer of elves on the UK high street) and they’ll also have fun spotting Lewis Bear. They can find him all over the store – hiding in the Christmas trees, even climbing the walls!
Christmas events and experiences
Illustrations: Antoine Corbineau
From chats with Santa to festive fun and surprises…
Britain’s favourite shop has everything you need
to get in the spirit of the season
christmas magic
IN STORE
If you’re searching for Christmas spirit at the source, there’s no need to hitch a sleigh ride to Lapland. Everything you could wish for this festive season is in your nearest John Lewis. That’s where shopping for presents and holiday essentials becomes part of the festive fun rather than a chore – because when you step into the store, you’ll discover dazzling displays and gift inspiration galore, as well as all the treats and trimmings you need to transform your home for Christmas and beyond. There are also magical in-store experiences for all the family. Events and activities may vary from store to store, so it’s best to check before heading out, but here are some sparkling highlights to look out for – along with extra tips from John Lewis Partners and many Little Helpers…
’Tis the season to treat your own little elves to an audience with Santa Claus and his Christmas crew. John Lewis offers three experiences, which vary across selected locations. Santa’s Grotto & The Magic Tree takes place at three sites, including the flagship Oxford Street store (£20 per child and accompanying adult): each young visitor plants a magic bean that grows into a mini Christmas tree to decorate. Other stores offer a Meet Santa experience (£15 per child, accompanying adults free). John Lewis has partnered with LEGO®, so every child visiting the grotto receives a pressie and just like John Lewis shops, the grottos are dog friendly, so bring your furry friend – Santa Paws may have a gift for them, too.
These events sell out fast, so book ahead
STEVE MANN
No Christmas would be complete without taking a stroll through the John Lewis Christmas Shop, which is in all stores. Each one features glittering decoration collections and an expansive indoor forest. There are more than 40 styles of artificial Christmas tree to choose from, prelit or unlit and ranging from cute four-foot tiddlers to majestic nine-footers. If you’re stuck for decorative ideas, take a cue from John Lewis’s six visual themes, including Santa’s Rainbow Workshop, Sugar Plum Cafe and Winter Fayre. Rainbow decorations, with their vibrant colours, are inspired by Father Christmas’s present factory and fantasy toy shops as your child might imagine them.
Get into the spirit and browse the full range online before you visit
CHRISTMAS shop
More the merrier:
there's no reason to
hold back when decorating the tree
Stepping into our Christmas Shop is a moment of joy and awe that we love sharing with you – it’s such a thrill to see the instant smiles as you take in the sheer scale and amazing product choice! This year, we have six decorating themes. We had great fun sourcing wonderful and wacky decorations for Santa’s Rainbow Workshop – the bauble that looks like an ice-cream frog made of kiwi fruit, for example! Because, of course, nothing says Christmas like a kiwi frog
ice-cream… And I love our Midas Gold tree. It makes such a bold statement at Christmas – glamorous and celebratory in all its festive glory.
Buyer, Christmas
JASON BILLINGS-CRAY
Christmas is about sharing, so a generous tin of Quality Street for all the family to enjoy is
a timeless festive favourite. John Lewis makes it even more special: at 18 stores, exclusive Quality Street pick ’n’ mix stations allow you to customise your tin, using at least three varieties of Quality Street (if you’re a My John Lewis member, you can “pick and don’t mix”, filling your tin with just one flavour). Then personalise the tin with a name of your choice (up to nine characters); maybe name the “street” after your family! The tin will be ready to take away with you. If you have a personalised tin from last Christmas, bring it back for a refill. This special pick ’n’ mix is only available at John Lewis, as is Quality Street’s limited-edition chocolate, Honeycomb Crunch.
Find out more online
CUSTOMISED QUALITY STREET
Right up your street: at 18 stores you can pick your own mix of Quality Street chocolates
Quality Street’s jewel-like sweets are synonymous with Christmas. They’re made
in Halifax and taste delicious. The exclusive new tin designs every year make them the perfect gift. This Christmas, you’ll start to see colourful recyclable paper wrappers similar to those in the first selection in 1936! By making this change, Quality Street aims to remove more than two billion pieces of packaging. We also have a new cracker format this year at £5: fill it with your favourites for a perfect stocking filler or Secret Santa!
Buyer, Christmas
LISA CHERRY
John Lewis is tapping into the creativity of communities across the UK with its specially curated Winter Village, presenting a wide range of new homegrown talent at selected stores every week. The village is ideal for finding one-of-a-kind handcrafted gifts, from natural soaps and toiletries to exquisite stationery and accessories. Browse one of these inspiring pop-ups to take away something stylish, unique and lovingly made for someone special in your life. At the same time, you’ll be supporting local designers and craftspeople.
Visit the website to find out more
WINTER VILLAGE
Village people: support local designers with these stylish adornments for your home
To create our Winter Villages, we’re working with local producers via The Great British Exchange and Curated Makers. As a result, you’ll find 250 small brands to choose from across our stores – and because the makers change around regularly, you’ll discover something new on every visit. You’ll find unique gifts here, many of them offering personalisation – for that extra-special seasonal touch – in all kinds of categories, from fashion to homeware.
Buyer, gifts
KERRY NICHOLLS
No one forgets the matchless enchantment of wandering around toy shops as a child, when the possibilities of fun and discovery seemed endless. At John Lewis, that sense of childhood excitement never fades – and its renowned toy department is the ideal destination for Christmas joy. The huge range has something to delight everyone, whether you’re looking for the latest cool Yule toy releases, a gift for baby’s first Christmas, timeless board games to play together over the holidays, action figures and dolls, or adorable teddy bears and other cuddly, comforting pals. Visiting is an essential experience for all kids (and kids at heart).
Browse the full range online before you visit
TOY DEPARTMENT
Present time:
discover top toys such as the exclusive LEGO® Santa’s Visit; or perhaps the Bike Club is more your kid's thing
This Christmas, we have an even wider range of amazing toys from some of the biggest and best names, such as LEGO®, Barbie, Melissa & Doug and Micro Scooters. And our great new brands include LeMieux (toy ponies, unicorns and accessories, including wings!), Floss & Rock (gorgeous arts and crafts, games and puzzles) and I’m a Girly (fashion dolls with interchangeable wigs). Feeling nostalgic for the eighties and nineties? Then you’ll love the exclusive LEGO® Santa’s Visit, the Play-Doh Ice Cream Truck and the Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage. Your kids will go crazy for them, too. Our sustainable toy range is bigger than ever – which is as important to us as it is to you – with Green Toys and the Eco Deluxe Micro Scooter. And we’re proud to continue to work with the brilliant Bike Club to offer a sustainable way to get your children on two wheels – and keep them there as they grow. We’re as thrilled to bring you a series of fun events in the run-up to Christmas, such as exciting character visits, which means no two festive weekends are the same for you and your family!
Buyer, toys and books
ALAN WRIGHT
Get set for the festive season by learning new skills with Christmas workshops at selected John Lewis stores. Be crafty and find out how to make a Christmas jumper or pretty wreath. If you want to treat a style-conscious friend, John Lewis stylists can help you choose a fashion gift for them – or yourself. Tickets are £5, which includes a glass of fizz on arrival and £10 off a fashion purchase. Or pick up tips from John Lewis home design experts for laying the perfect Christmas table. There are online workshops too, so you can take part wherever you are.
Explore the options online
festive WORKSHOPS
Dress to impress: pick up festive tips for Christmas tablescaping or, right, a John Lewis stylist can help you choose a fashion gift
We want to invite everyone to have fun at our events, so we’ve made them great value; many include a gift with a value higher than the ticket price. The in-store events are for 12 people, giving you the chance to spend time with an expert.
My favourites in-store include Make Your Own Wreath with a Waitrose florist, and Design and Make Your Own Sustainable Gift Wrap. Online? It has to be Christmas Cocktails with Waitrose!
Manager, Christmas events and experiences
SIMON PAGE
For a grown-up pick ’n’ mix, spirits get a festive spin with Fever-Tree’s Christmas cracker pop-up in 10 John Lewis stores. All you gin aficionados can take your pick from labels like Mermaid or Edinburgh Gin, paired with the perfect Fever-Tree tonic. And it’s not all G&T – you’ll also find Ultimate Blood Orange Spritz Soda & Ketel One Vodka, or Ultimate Golden Ginger Ale & Duppy Share Aged Rum, all wrapped up in a customisable cracker gift box. You can buy these crackers individually, at £8.50 each, or Fever-Tree experts will help you find the ideal collection. John Lewis Christmas crackers are, of course, available in all stores and online.
Browse the full range online
FEVER-TREE CRACKER SHOP
Get cracking: adults will love the Fever-Tree pop-up shops in 10 John Lewis stores
Fever-Tree sources the best ingredients from across the world to produce a wide
selection of tonic waters, sodas and spiced gingers that match with and elevate different spirits. Its development team has come up with the perfect pairings
for us that complement the flavour profile of the alcohol. If you’re not sure which ones to buy, don’t worry: we have Fever-Tree ambassadors offering sampling in John Lewis stores over the Christmas period, so you can try a variety of serves and decide which one hits the spot. We also have a range of spirits to choose from: gin, rum, vodka and whisky. And this year we are proud to offer four gins from distilleries close to our stores in London (Oxford Street), Southampton, Liverpool and Bluewater. New designs on our exclusive Fever-Tree crackers mean they will look fab on your Christmas table – they’re also a great gift to send – while the packaging features tasting notes on each drink.
Buyer, Christmas
LISA CHERRY
What our Little Helpers say…
“The Christmas Shop is amazing; I could spend ages in there, with all the snowy Christmas trees, party decorations, colourful lights and wrapping paper. It feels super festive and happy, and you get really good ideas. You could actually make your own house look like a Christmas wonderland. I love classic decorations, but now I really want to have sparkly ice-cream cones, UFOs and a purple neon star on our tree!”
“As soon as we walked in,
I couldn’t stop smiling because
I was so excited to meet Santa, and also the whole shop looks like the land of Christmas teddy bears! You can spot purple and green teddies everywhere, even hanging from Christmas lights, climbing all the way to the ceiling! The best thing was all the cuddly animals in the toy shop: tigers, bears, flamingos – and giraffes that are almost as tall as me!”
“LEGO® is my favourite thing in the world, and I feel like they must have every kind in the toy section. There’s so much stuff I’d never seen before – I’m going to ask for a Guardians of the Galaxy LEGO® advent calendar! I also loved that they have tables where you can play and create your own LEGO® designs. I’m really hoping to visit Santa’s Grotto, because all the kids get a LEGO® present – Santa knows!”
“We found loads of different board games to play, kids versus grown-ups! I’m also going to ask for Scalextric because they have some epic sets here. But the best part of my visit was probably the Quality Street pick ’n’ mix; you get to print your name on the tin, and choose the flavours you like. I’m making sure there’s extra Green Triangles because someone scoffed them all last year – it wasn’t me!”
Harmony Quinn, 10
Noah Ajaja, 6
Omar Azeez, 7
TJ Cain, 10
Click to find out what’s on at your
local John Lewis store
unwrap the wonder
of christmas today
Santa's little yelper:
well behaved dogs are
welcome in the grotto…
as well as children
Scrolll down to discover more