An advert for an Irish supermarket chain is taking social media by storm thanks to an emotive, 2020-themed twist.
SuperValu released the commercial, which stars a young boy called Conor who is preparing for Christmas amid Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
“Is he still coming this year?” Conor asks his mother, to which she replies “of course he is”.
The scenes that follow show the boy appearing to write a letter to Father Christmas and even placing a sign which reads “please stop here” outside his home and laying out a plate of mince pies with a glass of milk.
However, hearing movement downstairs one night, Conor hurries down the stairs to be greeted by his grandfather.
“Grandad! I knew you’d come,” says Conor, followed by the tagline “SuperValu: We Believe”.
Don't think even John Lewis will top this. @SuperValuIRL have won Christmas with this! https://t.co/0eC5h4msJJ
— Dave O'Kane (@dok88) November 11, 2020
The advert reflects the desire for families to be together at Christmas in a year of uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic, and has received a warm reception online.
“Don’t think even John Lewis will top this,” tweeted @dok88.
“@SuperValuIRL have won Christmas with this!”
Oh dear, the kicker at the end makes you realise how much Covid has actually affected you, even if you thought it hadn't 🥲🥰
— Ciara Keegan (@_CiaraKeegan) November 11, 2020
“Oh dear, the kicker at the end makes you realise how much Covid has actually affected you, even if you thought it hadn’t,” responded Twitter user @_CiaraKeegan.
Within four hours of posting, the food retailer’s advert had been viewed over 50,000 times on Twitter and shared thousands of times on Facebook.