It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas - Behind The Scenes At The John Lewis Christmas Shop

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I’m really looking forward to Christmas this year, and judging by the reaction from so many of you when I posted about my visit to the John Lewis Christmas Shop last week, you’re all feeling the same. Let’s face it, we all desperately need something fun to look forward to, and we’re all likely to be spending a lot more time at home this year so let’s deck the halls and go all out with the festive joy!

From painting rainbows, to baking banana bread, making homemade tie dye t-shirts and a whole host of DIY projects, 2020 was undoubtedly the year we discovered our creative sides. John Lewis have tapped into that creativity with their Christmas range this year and focused each trend on different art movements. They are Pop Art, Renaissance, Art of Japan, Art Nouveau, Bloomsbury, Impressionism and Post Impressionism, and they are all on display at the newly launched Christmas Shop on the 3rd Floor of their Oxford Street store. Alternatively if you can’t make it into the store, you can take a virtual tour of the space and explore all the themes here.

I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the 3rd Floor by Jason Billings-Cray, Junior Buyer and one of the masterminds behind this year’s Christmas collection. He’s also predicting that people will go big on Christmas this year, whether it’s all out Christmas decor, wreaths on our doors, or even creating Christmas Zoom corners! And yes, that may be the most 2020 sentence I’ve ever written. Jason said: “Christmas wall art sales are up this year and we think it’s because people are thinking about their Zoom backdrops.” On that note, sales of Christmas cards are also up, as we’ve rediscovered the joy of sending good old fashioned snail mail to our loved ones.

As for the Christmas baubles, they are already flying off the shelves! The Rainbow bauble, of which 25% of proceeds go to the NHS, has sold out online, but it will be restocked, and there are lots in store.

So without further ado, let’s have a rundown of all this year’s themes shall we? Let me know which is your favourite in the comments at the end.

Renaissance

Starting with my personal favourite, Renaissance has a palette of pink, jade green and gold, and features mythical pearl encrusted mythical sea creatures and shimmering sea shells, bunches of glass grapes and topped with plumes of pink feathers. It’s so pretty and makes me want to redecorate my lounge, so I can go all in on this style. It’s luxurious but also a little bit quirky. Jason said: “Pampas is a huge trend at the moment and we’ve tapped into that with the pink plumes, which we’ve used as an alternative tree topper.” You could also add the plumes to a mantelpiece for some added glamour.

Impressionism

This one’s your classic Winter Wonderland theme, think delicate ballerinas, snowflakes, iridescent polar bears and snow tipped Christmas trees. Jason said: “Snow is always one of our most popular themes but this year we looked at the Impressionist artists, who were heavily inspired by nature and the effects of light on their paintings. We interpreted that into the colours and reflections found when the sun hits the ice and snow, so instead of just white, we have iridescent shades of lilacs and blues.”

Post Impressionism

From the pretty pastels of Impressionism, we move into the wild imagination of Post Impressionism, which is perhaps the most fun of this year’s themes. Inspired by the famous Henri Rousseau painting, there are no rules with this one, anything goes. It’s a tropical fantasy land (we all need some of this!) where exotic birds, animals and insects, sit alongside glittering avocados and bananas. it’s packed with vivid clashing colours and a touch of gold for that added opulence. I love the Chameleon’s and Avo on this one. Jason said: “In the real world none of these animals would live together but that doesn’t matter here. It’s a total fantasy!”

Art of Japan

Now if you believe Christmas isn’t Christmas unless it’s red and green, this is the theme for you. Art of Japan takes the traditional festive colours, to create something super unique and original. Inspired by traditional Japanese woodblock prints, it features cherry blossoms, alongside quirky baubles of bowls of Ramen, sushi, Kokeshi dolls and Koi Carp. I’m not a red and green girl, but I love this fresh take on the tradition and the baubles make me smile. There’s also a tablescaping theme to go with this one. If you followed me during lockdown, you’ll know I got very into tablescapes, anything to make eating at home more interesting! Jason said: “Tablescaping is still a big story, setting the table has become a special focus, even if it is just for six people!”

Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury is a really rich and cosy theme. Inspired by the Bloomsbury Group, the set of artists and writers who lived and worked together in 1900’s London, its bursting with copper and jewel tones. There are also a lot of baubles with an interiors slant like armchairs and lamps, inspired by the houses the artists lived in. For this tree, the team at John Lewis experimented with winding sprays of faux foliage around the tree to create a flow, and positioned larger decorations within the tree for maximum impact. Jason said: “The tapestry pheasant is an unexpected addition to a Christmas tree but it really adds interest and a fresh focal point.”

Pop Art

Pop Art is a super fun theme. Rainbow lights (and baubles), gold balloon dogs and dinosaurs, and tubes of paint are some of my favourite features on this tree. Neon is still a big trend and here the neon lights are nestled into the trees for maximum impact. You may notice the colours of the lights and baubles on this tree are banded all the way up to create an additional rainbow effect. This is the one your kids will love!

Art Nouveau

This one for all you glam Gatsby lovers out there. The Art Nouveau theme is based around cocktails, gold and glitz. Rich inky and electric blue baubles pop against the gold Christmas tree. There’s a leopard theme too, because you can never have enough leopard print in my opinion! I love the champagne glass baubles filled with gold glitter and Claudia, the 20’s glamourpuss is already proving to be a hit with customers.

So that’s all the themes and decorations covered….but what about the tree? This year you can view a large selection of John Lewis’ 61 different Christmas trees on the shop floor, and there’s something for every budget and taste from the ultra realistic Peruvian Pine, to their Symphony Tree, which comes pre-lit with 7 musical light shows.

Last but by no means least, I was super impressed to hear that John Lewis has some serious eco-credentials when it comes to their wrap and packaging. All their wrapping paper is recyclable (not many are!) and they’ve even taken the plastic sleeves out of the cracker boxes, to make them completely recyclable as well.

If you’re looking for something to spark joy, I’d really recommend a trip to the Christmas Shop. There are sanitising stations all over and it felt really safe, which made for a really enjoyable shopping experience. But if not, take the virtual tour to see for yourself.

Now, I’m dying to know, which are your favourite themes and/or baubles?

Jess x