IT MUST be Christmas as John Lewis have just released their new TV advert.

Someone played it to me on their phone just after it went live on Facebook. “I love it,” they said. “It’s really cool.”

I like it too. Not just because it has a nice tune and an interesting storyline. I like it because the ad, featuring an elderly man living on the moon, has a challenge for today. One that’s as relevant for St Albans and Harpenden as anywhere else in the country.

The department store has teamed up with charity Age UK to highlight the numbers of elderly people who will be on their own for the festive season.

The ad’s strapline ‘Show someone they’re loved this Christmas’, echoes Age UK’s own campaign: ‘No one should have no one at Christmas’.

There will be people who will be cynical about a store raising its profile by pulling at people’s heartstrings.

Myself, I’m pleased someone’s turning the spotlight on an important social issue: loneliness.

It’s not just at Christmas that many people – not all of them old – are alone. A recent survey showed around 6.5 million men and women living alone. Nearly six in ten were over 85 years old.

It’s a challenge to all of us – as neighbours, relatives, friends, churches or other community groups – to think about what we can do to make a difference.

How we respond may be more in tune with the real meaning of Christmas than any present we give.