Christmas adverts are everywhere right now and they’re ripe for spoofing. But let’s forget about all the #ManOnTheMoon parodies and think about the message this John Lewis ad sends about caring for those who are without loved ones this festive season.
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The advert is a real tearjerker, highlighting the plight of millions of pensioners across the country, and it really struck a chord with one Cardiff family.
Ceri Camilleri was left so moved by the advert that she took to Gumtree to post an advert of her own, inviting an “elderly lonely person” to come and spend Christmas with her and her family. Her message, which was uploaded on Tuesday, is titled “Free christmas lunch and company!!!” and offers to arrange transport for the chosen individual so they can “come and spend a few hours with us, eating drinking and having a good old chin wag!! Any diet can be catered for and when you’re ready to leave we will make sure you get home safely.”
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The Internet can be a dangerous place so Camilleri was quick to ensure that any potential guest knew her family weren’t “a bunch of nutters” and that their mission was nothing but honourable: to “make someone feel a part of a family this Christmas (especially those who are otherwise alone) We are all about spreading a bit of festive spirit and making sure someone has a hot meal and heating on this special day. (sic)”
It’s a beautiful idea and something that will hopefully catch on throughout the country so that more people who find themselves alone and without a meal will be able to partake in some love and festive spirit.
If you want to try and help yourself then there are various organisations like Community Christmas (that suggests communities band together to help provide companionship and meals for older people on Christmas Day by creating a lunch event) or you can make a donation to Age UK to help a lonely older person. If you prefer to be more hands on then you can always apply to volunteer with the organisation to help make a real difference in someone’s life.
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If you have an extra plate of food (on Christmas Day or any other day of the year) and would like it to go to someone in need, there is a great organisation called Casserole which allows volunteers to share their extra portions of home-cooked food with people in their area.
Watch the advert that inspired Ceri below.
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