It's here! The John Lewis Christmas ad has launched with an original song from Celeste as its secret weapon for 2020 – but will you be giving it a little love? Over to you.

Tis the season to be, well, socially distancing. While our festive fun is in the hands of Boris Johnson and his scientists, John Lewis has kicked off the Christmas countdown with the release of its 2020 ad campaign – and Celeste has written a beautiful original song just for the occasion.

As you would expect it comes laden with schmaltz and feel good vibes. Let’s be honest, after a pretty rubbish year, we’re probably all feeling a bit sentimental. But the ad itself focuses on acts of goodwill, inspired by the kindness seen during the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead of telling just one story, the film is made up of nine scenes, made up of different arts forms, including live action, animation, CGI and claymation.

While the ad itself is quite lo-fi by today’s standards, it’s Celeste’s original song, A Little Love, that will pull on your heart strings. The BBC Sound Of 2020 winner’s smokey delivery is reminiscent of Eartha Kitt’s version of Santa Baby. The lyrics are sweet, while the jazz tones gives it a sensuous old Hollywood romance.

Naturally there’s a load of merch’ to accompany the ad – the heart-shaped umbrella is certainly going to be a sell-out and people are being encouraged to donate to food poverty charity FareShare and Home-Start, providing support to parents from disadvantage or vulnerable families.

I’m not going to spoil the ad for you by giving you my opinion on it (yet – obvs I have one!). First of all – what do you think? Let me know in the comment box below, I’m all ears!

Now watch the ad