Kiwi backdrop for tear-jerking ad

The snowman star in a Kiwi setting for a white 'Christmas'. Photo / Supplied

For some out-of-season snow, British department store John Lewis looked to New Zealand to provide the appropriate backdrop to enchant customers as much as it did with last year's tear-jerking Christmas advert.

This year's $11.7 million commercial features a snowman trekking through rivers, mountains and cities to find the perfect gift for his missus. Last year's ad had more than four million views on YouTube.

With snow thin on the ground in Britain in July, producers shipped British road signs and a red telephone box to wintry New Zealand.