Christmas is an important time of the year for retailers, and that is reflected in Christmas TV advertisements. A modern Christmas tradition in Britain is the John Lewis & Partners Christmas advertisement campaign. Every year since 2007 the company has produced a Christmas campaign where they promote their department stores. The advertisements usually present a cover of a well-known song together with a heart-warming story. Through the campaign, the company creates an image and an emotional connection to the audience and shoppers.

In this lesson, we will explore the John Lewis & Partners advertisement from December 2015. The advertisement is called “The Man on the Moon” and was produced in cooperation with the charity organisation Age UK and their campaign “No one should have no one at Christmas”.
Norwegian Christmas trees are donated to British cities every year as a symbol of the close relationship between the two countries. In the advertisement “The Man on the Moon”, the relationship is further reinforced. The Norwegian singer Aurora performs a cover of the Oasis song “Half the World Away”.

by Lene Haugmoen Kapstad, KKG vgs

Handout to students

Become a volunteer friend visitor

Silje Nordnes from NRK’s P3 may inspire your students to act on the issue of loneliness. To go from knowledge to action and become a volunteer friend visitor.

See the touching news report on NRK Dagsrevyen

The Red Cross acts as an intermediary between volunteer friend visitors and those looking for human contact. As a volunteer friend visitor, the only thing you have to do is to give some of your time. https://www.rodekors.no/tilbudene/besoksvenn/

“No one should have no one at Christmas”

Globalization and cultural diversity make communicating appropriately with people of different backgrounds a much-desired skill. Openness, curiosity and respect towards alternative ways of thinking should be key values that pervade our education system. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says:

“The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.”

Here are two teaching resources to raise your students’ awareness of the importance of avoiding stereotyping.

Take the time to pay tribute to the bravery of those who fought in the wars by reading the poem “In Flanders Fields”.

Download In Flandern Fields

Further reading: Why do people wear poppies?

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.