The darkest Christmas advertisement ever

THIS supermarket’s take on the classic Christmas tear-jerker ad has a dark twist, but it gets worse. We bring you the wrap of the silly season’s epic fails.

Viewers don’t know how to feel about Edeka’s new Christmas ad.

ONLY in Germany.

Supermarket chain Edeka has taken the classic Christmas tear-jerker advert and given it an incredibly dark twist, leaving viewers happy, sad, but mainly confused.

Watch it for yourself:

In the advert, released on Saturday, an elderly man prepares his home for family Christmas, only to be informed by his children and grandchildren they can’t make it.

After what appears to be several Christmases spent alone, the ad cuts to the man’s relatives as they receive the news that he has tragically passed away.

The guilt-ridden family members finally reunite at his funeral, after which they make their way to his house — only to find the table laid out with plates and candles.

Surprise! Grandpa emerges from the back of the house, having faked his own death. “How else could I have brought you all together?” he asks.

The family then enjoys Christmas together, just like he always wanted. The ad ends with the tagline: “Time to come home.”

Users on social media have responded with a range of emotions. “German supermarket makes Christmas commercial that makes me want to crawl into a cave,” wrote Jeff Jarvis.

Simon Ricketts said: “This German store’s Christmas advert is pretty dark. I like it.”

Keila Hawksmoor wasn’t happy. “Don’t know who’s more manipulative, you or the old man. Using death and loss to promote sales is disgusting,” she wrote.

Others said they “cried their eyes out”. “I cried like a baby but it definitely makes you think,” wrote Laura M. “Never take loved ones for granted.”

German supermarket makes Christmas commercial that makes me want to crawl into a cave. https://t.co/adVyT90EMG

— Jeff Jarvis (@jeffjarvis) November 28, 2015

This German store's Christmas advert is pretty dark. I like it. https://t.co/L5T1RV7R7R

— SimonNRicketts (@SimonNRicketts) November 30, 2015

@EDEKA_D watched your Christmas ad. Don't know who's more manipulative you or the old man. Using death & loss to promote sales is disgusting

— Keila Hawksmoor (@keilahawk) December 1, 2015

Love the Germans, none of the cod-sentimental consumerism of @johnlewisretail, just straight in there for @EDEKA_D: https://t.co/pUe3TQMosZ

— tomjennings (@tomjennings) December 1, 2015

https://t.co/T3YOTzdhsm This @EDEKA_D Christmas ad...Started watching it while drinking tea, now I'm drinking my own tears. 😢😭

— Toma (@TomaSukyte) December 1, 2015

just watched the @EDEKA_D Christmas advert and i need a hug #heimkommen #Weihnachten https://t.co/rdjuS2aiEf

— jack lamb (@jackcolelamb) December 1, 2015

Hey, @EDEKA_D, faking your death is widely considered not cool. If my grandpa faked his death we'd all be pissed and skip the funeral.

— Andrew Lynch (@URAMean1MrLynch) December 1, 2015

Meanwhile, Australian retailers have had to contend with the PC brigade, with Woolies accused of being too white-bread and Myer’s camp Rudolph drawing a mixed response from the gay community.

Let’s start with the sleighbells.

The department store’s advert features everyone’s favourite reindeer, who sports a string of tinsel around his neck and embarks on a quest to “find Christmas”, along with his elfin sidekick.

The pair go trekking over snow-topped mountains and through blizzards in a scene described by agency Clemenger BBDO Melbourne as “beautiful and whimsical, but with a uniquely Australian tone”.

But some viewers took issue with Rudolph’s lisp and fabulous comportment, labelling it “insulting”, “overly stereotypical” and “offensive”.

Rhys Nicholson, the openly gay comedian who voiced the Rudolph character, weighed on Twitter, writing: “Well, it’s just what my voice sounds like.”

And he didn’t take kindly to the suggestion that his enunciation style was in some way defective.

@muddyhoof Maybe I'll use my pay cheque to get my offensive voice fixed.

— Rhys Nicholson (@rhysnicholson) December 1, 2015

More lighthearted comments on the YouTube clip included the observation that “I don’t think that reindeer’s parents are going to have grandchildren”.

It should be remembered that neither Rudolph, nor his elf-with-dental-ambitions Hermey, are particularly masculine in the original Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer film.

The pair of self-confessed misfits caused no offence when they debuted in the 1964 made-for-television classic.

Followers of Samesame.com.au’s Facebook page called the ad “just a little bit fabulous”, with one commenter writing: “Sounds like a typical reindeer to me”.

“This ad is very cute, and very heart warming, and conjures nice feelings,” another follower wrote.

“All I hear when people complain about it is: ‘I’m a masc4masc gay that is afraid that other people will think I’m feminine ... Also I have a large degree of internalised homophobia!’”

As for the supermarkets, Woolworths’ Christmas ad features “real Australian families” in apparently unscripted scenes, such as throwing a few prawns on the barbie.

But one Facebook follower has called them out for the Anglocentric casting of the advert, made by Leo Burnett Sydney.

“It’s just a bunch of white folks celebrating Christmas,” ‎Bec Goldstein wrote.

“Woolworths always seem to want to promote how ‘Aussie’ they are and the ad completely lacks any form of multiculturalism ... Coles’ Christmas advert showed right after and they had a bunch of people from different races and cultures in their ad. I think Coles wins this one, Woolies.”

Woolworths director of supermarkets marketing Andrew Hicks said while launching the ad: “Every family has a tradition and is famous for something, whether it’s your glazed ham, barbecue prawns or taking a nap after lunch. This year we spent time with families and friends famous for making Christmas special in their own way.

“Our families aren’t actors, they’re real people with real dishes and some really interesting and endearing Christmas stories, rich in family values and tradition. Nothing was scripted. We captured them in their homes as they all made their very own famous recipes.”

He said the ad’s producers conducted a street search for families with the most “interesting” stories and recipes, which can be found on Woolworths’ YouTube channel.

We’re not sure which suburbs were included in the talent search, but more importantly this year’s wrap of Aussie Christmas ads is just incredibly uninspiring.

Coles’ concoction may have more ethnically diverse casting, but it is startlingly similar, complete with prawns, ham and cheesy music.

Celebrity chef and brand ambassador Curtis Stone stars alongside Coles’ allegedly “real” families, while Jamie Oliver is a Woolworths partner, although he doesn’t appear in its ad.

Aldi Australia takes a different tack, featuring a cast of frantic characters who repeat the word “Christmas” with an urgency that’s just irritating.

It seems the likes of Sainsburys’ imaginative Mog’s Christmas Calamity advert are yet to be replicated Down Under.

A poll of British television viewers crowned it the season’s best, and we can see why.

Originally published as The darkest Christmas advertisement ever