ST THOMAS's, Norwich, has devised a spoof of the John Lewis
Christmas advertisement. Instead of Monty the Penguin™, it shows a
boy whose companion is an imaginary tiger. Fans of Calvin and
Hobbes will recognise this metamorphosis of toy and imaginary
companion. At the end of the St Thomas's ad, the boy responds to an
invitation card and takes his tiger to church. The tiger is dropped
as the boy walks towards an illuminated cross. (There is a glimpse
of a second stuffed tiger, the significance of which escapes us.)
The ad is well executed, and ought to attract more than the
traditional card invitation. But why does it shy away from the rich
Christian iconography: Christ the innocent baby, Christ the Good
Shepherd? Call us sentimental, but in a world where no sparrow
falls to the ground unheeded by God, we reckon that, for all its
theological significance, an empty cross is a lesser embodiment of
Christ's love to a young child than a valued soft toy.