'Pub Xmas ad makes me cry thinking about it - be sure to visit lonely people'

01 December 2023 , 19:38

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'Pub Xmas ad makes me cry thinking about it - be sure to visit lonely people'

Don’t even talk to me about the Christmas advert for the Irish pub because I cry just thinking about it.

The ad made the news because it rivals John Lewis, yet was made for £700 by Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen. It shows a lovely old man laying flowers on a grave, shaking his head as if he can’t believe he’s lost someone so special. Then he wanders into town, trying but failing to strike up conversations before ambling into a warm Charlie’s Bar where a young couple befriend him.

The last line says, ‘There are no strangers, just friends you haven’t met yet’. It gets me every time. When loved ones start leaving this Earth, it’s hard to fend off loneliness. It’s even harder to admit it.

I’m lucky I have daily contact with people close to me, thanks to the magic of FaceTime. But plenty of us are in danger of forgetting the sound of our own voice as we use it so rarely. If you’re young and know anyone who might be lonely, take advice from an old lady like me and please don’t bother with the usual gifts of candles, hand cream or biscuits*.

The advert charmed viewers (PA)

It drew comparisons with John Lewis (charliesbarenniskillen/instagram)

I appreciate the thought but I could fill a stockroom with such things and usually regift them. Save your money, but spend your time popping in to see your older friends and relatives. Take old photos to relive old times and well-told stories.

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Have a laugh with a game of cards or bingo. Better still, teach them how to use Alexa so they can have all the music or info they could ever need.

If you have the patience, talk them through how to use their phone to stay connected in the tech world, which can feel frightening at our age. A visit like that will lift someone who’s lonely far more than anything you can wrap.

*Actually I do like to receive biscuits and never regift those.

Val Savage