Inside Cathay’s Christmas video and the Lupton family’s moving reunion
It’s been 10 years since Ross Lupton last spent Christmas with his father, Andrew, and older brother, Lewis – whom Ross fondly refers to as “the Lupton boys”.
That love spans thousands of kilometres, since Ross now lives in Edinburgh – though he still calls Hong Kong home given that Lewis and his father live there. The family’s bond, despite challenging times, is as tight as they come.
Moved by the Luptons’ story, we knew that when Ross decided to surprise his father Andrew by flying home with Cathay Pacific for the holidays, we had to capture the journey. Ric Dunn, Creative Content Manager at Cathay, says, “When the opportunity to share the story of this distant family coming together again arose, we jumped at the chance to help Ross and Lewis give something back to their father.”
Beyond creating a special memory that the Lupton family could reflect on in the years to come, we also felt their story would resonate with many others at this time of year. In a top-secret operation that involved weeks of cross-continent planning and more than a dash of subterfuge, Ross pulled off the surprise and was reunited with his father and brother for the festive season. The entire story, from Ross’s flight to Hong Kong, to the big reveal when Andrew realised both of his boys were home for the holidays, was a privilege to share in our video below.
The Christmas mission
“I thought it was a scam when I got a text from Cathay,” Ross recalls, laughing, “I thought there was no way.”
Once he was convinced we really wanted to help document his journey, things moved swiftly. Initially, Ross’s plan was to surprise both Lewis and his father, but the logistics were such that Lewis became a crucial ally. From picking up Ross at the airport to ensuring Andrew was at home for the reunion, Dunn says, “Lewis became Ross’s point person, a hero who made it all possible. He was told everything because he was pivotal in helping to make this Christmas miracle happen.”
Getting Andrew in the right place at the right time was, of course, essential: “Lewis told his father a white lie that he was going to be on a reality TV series,” Dunn says. “It added a layer of drama, as his dad was initially annoyed that he might be bringing a camera crew into the house. A feeling that was thankfully soon forgotten.”
Keeping the surprise under wraps was a challenge in other ways; the brothers didn’t post anything on social media to avoid spoiling Ross’ return, but still, things nearly went awry at the final reunion.
“We were running through the final surprise with the crew outside Andrew’s building. In all the excitement, we didn’t realise that at any minute, he could casually walk outside and see us,’” Dunn recounts. Luckily, Andrew didn’t.
The moments leading up to the reveal were “tense”, with the camera crew – whom Andrew thought were there to film a reality TV show – strategically placed along the narrow hallway, while Dunn hid in a back stairwell and watched on a monitor. To add to the tension, Andrew didn’t answer on the first knock, or the second, striking fear in everyone’s hearts that he had “just popped out to the shops”.
Then, Andrew opened the door. As Dunn recalls, “Initially, Andrew was just looking at Lewis. He later explained that he didn’t want to look straight into the camera because he thought he was being filmed for a reality show. Then suddenly, he looked left [to see Ross] and there was that genuine moment of surprise.
“It took him a while to really realise, ‘Wait, you’re here, this is actually happening.’ I was in the stairwell nearly tearing up watching it unfold on the monitor.”
A little closer for Christmas
With the family reunited, Lewis reflects in our video, “It turned out better than I could have hoped for. I don’t have the words to describe how happy I am and how rewarding it feels that the whole thing went exactly the way I thought it was going to go."
Dunn says, “I’m immensely proud of the Lupton family who allowed us to tell their story, but also of everyone who helped make the moment a little more special as they reconnected.”
“The team came together in a really short period of time,” says Dunn. “Working on something this special inspires you and drives you to do your best.”
This is what the season is all about, bringing hundreds of thousands of people a little closer for Christmas.
It’s a sentiment the star of the video, Andrew, agrees with: “Christmas is just about being with the people you care about. To enable people to be together at Christmas is very, very special, so I'm deeply thankful to Cathay for documenting our journey.”
“I basically just have two words – thank you.”