Do You Think This Christmas Ad Is Heartwarming or Incredibly Sad?
An emotional holiday commercial about a lonely grandfather on Christmas is garnering a range of reactions — from touched to heartbroken to downright ticked off.
In an ad (above) for Edeka, a large supermarket chain in Germany, a grandfather spends each Christmas alone because his family — comprised of grown children juggling their own kids and careers and living in different parts of the world — is too busy to visit. It happens year after year, with the old man sitting by himself having Christmas dinner at a long, empty dining room table.
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Eventually, his family members receive a notice that the grandfather has died, and his adult children and grandkids all come home for his funeral.
That’s when the twist comes in: The grandfather isn’t dead after all. He faked his own funeral because it was the only way he could get his entire family to tear themselves away from their busy lives and come home for Christmas.
The ad has gone viral and has been viewed more than 30 million times on YouTube. It’s received some negative reactions on Twitter, such as one who noted, “Old man callously cons family into believing he’s dead.” Others were left with some mixed emotions. “Can’t decide if it’s wonderful or morbid, either way great,” wrote one.
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But most of the responses have been positive, leaving viewers completely choked up. “Tears in my eyes,” wrote one Twitter user. “Such an emotional #edeka xmas spot.”
Many took the ad’s message to heart, as a reminder about the importance of being with family. “Time to spend time with your loved ones,” noted another tweet. “They’ll not be here forever.”
(Photos: Youtube/Edeka)
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