The new Publix Christmas commercial is out. (But is it tissue-worthy?)

If you were waiting for the tissue-worthy Christmas commercial from Publix this holiday season, you’re going to have to wait — another year or two.

There is a new ad, though. It’s just not like the sentimental ones we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years from the Lakeland, Fla.-based grocer.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable.

Released on Monday, the new 60-second spot has all the ingredients for a great holiday commercial: family, food, children, pets and a musical score reminiscent of a circus march. (OK, so maybe not the circus march.)

The main characters this time are a toddler and Jack Russell Terrier named Ruckus, the former trapped in a highchair, the latter trapped outside as family members rush about the kitchen preparing a holiday meal of rack of lamb, a shredded sharp cheddar cheese-topped casserole and more.

(There’s a cat, too, proving it’s smarter — and more agile — than the dog as it makes its way back inside through an open window.)

In the rush to get the finishing touches to the meal and to the table, only the toddler realizes a member of the family is missing from the celebration. (Perhaps one of the adults would have heard Ruckus’s bark if it weren’t for the circus music.)

In typical toddler fashion, a sippy cup makes its way to the floor. But in this case, the sippy cup lands in front of the glass-paned door separating Ruckus from the family, drawing the attention of her mother — and the gratitude of Ruckus, who’s promptly let in to join the festivities.

Of course, he parks himself next to his hero and is rewarded with what appears to be a baby carrot or some other morsel from the meal.

With the exception of a quick shot and mention of a Christmas tree and a glimpse of someone retrieving a carton of eggnog from the refrigerator, the ad is hardly Christmassy. (Swap out the rack of lamb for a turkey and Publix could easily recycle the commercial for next Thanksgiving.)

But its universal message — spelled out in the ad’s tagline “There’s nothing like being together for the holidays” — is classic Publix holiday commercial material.

Watch.

Wasn’t there a Publix Thanksgiving commercial this year?

No. Publix didn’t release a Thanksgiving commercial this year, keeping with its pattern in recent years of releasing a Thanksgiving ad or a Christmas ad, but not both.

More Publix ads: Does Publix have a new holiday commercial? We're still crying over last year's

'The Attic:' Publix's 2021 Christmas commercial

In 2021, Publix released “The Attic,” a Christmas commercial featuring another young girl, a widower neighbor, a snowman and the magic of Christmas, all worthy of a tissue — or two.

'A Recipe for What Matters': Publix's 2022 Thanksgiving commercial

And again in 2022, Publix tugged at viewers’ heartstrings with its Thanksgiving ad, “A Recipe for What Matters,” featuring a grown daughter and her mother each preparing a holiday meal miles apart but connected with 21st-century technology and years of holiday memories.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Publix Christmas commercial 2023: Watch the new ad here.