Touching 'Man On The Moon' Christmas ad raises awareness of senior loneliness

It's still a few weeks until December, but there's one holiday ad that already might be the best of the season.

English retailer John Lewis released its latest holiday ad online on Friday, telling the story of Lily, a curious little girl that discovers a lonely, elderly man living on the moon while looking through her telescope. Lily becomes determined to send a message to her lunar friend to show that someone is thinking of him during the holidays, even from a world away.

People across the world have been raving about the ad, which has already received over 3 million views on YouTube.

Craig Inglis, Customer Director at John Lewis, says that the ad is all about going the extra mile like Lily does when sending her gift to the old man. The company hopes the ad's touching story will shed light on loneliness that effects isolated senior citizens, who can go weeks at a time without seeing or speaking to anyone

"We hope it inspires people to find really special gifts for their loved ones and through our partnership with [the charity] Age UK, raises awareness of the issue of loneliness amongst older people and encourages others to support in any way they can."

The "Man on the Moon" ad is just the latest of John Lewis' yearly Christmas commercials that have tugged at the world's heartstrings since 2007. The retailer's ad from last year about a penguin who just wants to find true love has over 24 million views on YouTube.