The John Lewis Christmas advert 2015 is almost here

Prepare for the plinky-plonk cover of a rock song

(John Lewis?)

Whether the prospect of it makes you want to squee or despair, John Lewis’s latest Christmas ad will arrive at 8am on Friday 6 November.

Having long since transcended TV, YouTube is where most will be viewing it on Friday morning, before no doubt buying plushy versions of whatever animal it features in droves shortly after.

We don’t know what cover song will be used yet (previous years have seen Ellie Golding doing Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ and Lily Allen take on Keane’s ‘Somewhere Only We Know’), but the commercial might have something to do with the Moon.

A 10-second teaser went out during ITV’s The X Factor on Sunday night, bearing an #OnTheMoon hashtag that looks suspiciously like John Lewis’ font. It also has its own Twitter account:

I spy with my little eye something beginning with M #OnTheMoon https://t.co/mdGUZCF0V3

— The Moon (@themoon2015) November 1, 2015

The advert is being kept under wraps by the department store, which will have spent months and months, planning, producing and creating a social media campaign around the advert - which has come to be as much a signal of Christmas for consumers as the infamous 'holidays are coming' Coca Cola one.

Interest is so high that on Thursday I will be attending a dedicated preview screening just to watch the advert. Pray for me.