Merry John Lewis

It’s November, that most wonderful month of the year when all the Christmas adverts arrive. Love or loathe them, companies put a lot of effort into making us feel festive and part with our £’s. This year though, there is a distinctively different feel to a lot of the offerings. Marketing teams have noted the current cost-of-living crisis facing many customers and toned down the spend big concept.

While Tesco have gone with value in Stand For Joy and Lidl Bear has begun a charity drive, there is also Daniel Craig’s epic dancing to advertise a well-known vodka brand. Probably more for the grown-ups, that one. And then, of course, there is our absolute favourite – The Beginner from John Lewis and Partners (JLP). It follows the attempts, failures and determination of a middle-aged man as he learns to skateboard. Why? So he can connect with a young teenager called Ellie who arrives at the end clutching her own skateboard, ready to be fostered by himself and his partner over Christmas. We love it!

JLP expressed the company wished to shine a light on the care experience, a topic they believe is often overlooked. For them the advert is about, “how you as an individual show kindness to someone else who may need it… an important message at Christmas”. Obviously other stores are available, but we think JLP might just have nailed Christmas advert season.

Clearly fostering is a big subject and not something purely for entertainment, but we appreciate the awareness The Beginner brings to the care system and love the simple message of kindness it sends, because kindness is big in fostering.

So, how can we all as individuals prepare to show a bit of kindness in the fostering community this Christmas?

Firstly, if you are a foster carer, now is the time to be putting in some decent thought to the season. You know, before everything becomes a blur of parties, presents, emotions, contact and crackers. We’ll be taking a closer look at getting prepared next time out, but for now can we recommend that Santa isn’t the only person making a list and checking it twice. If that all feels to stressful, try watching that Daniel Craig ad afterwards.

If one of your close friends or family is a foster carer, have a think about how you could give them a bit of extra support over the festive period. Maybe they’d appreciate some firm dates in the December diary for coffee catch-ups or FaceTiming. Maybe they would just like a tub of Christmas chocolate to power them through.

If you know, work or go to school with someone who is or was fostered, check-in with them over the coming months. Christmas can be hard without a family and however hard awesome foster parents work, sometimes people who have been, or are currently, in care still find the period difficult. Grab a quick chat or leave them a note to see how they are doing – it might make their day.

Finally, if you want to find out more about becoming a foster carer yourself, please get in touch for a no-pressure chat. We promise to be kind! Merry Christmas advert season from Footprints x