Christmas is celebrated all over the world and a Christmas dinner is often a key part of the festivities. What’s for dinner varies quite a bit from place to place. In Japan, eating at KFC has, rather randomly, become a Christmastime tradition! In Poland, carp and herring feature prominently. But in Portugal, it’s cod. Meanwhile, in Brazil a veritable banquet is served. In England, a turkey and the trimmings are the centerpiece; it’s not that different from the American Thanksgiving dinner, in fact. Across the North Sea, in Holland, Christmas dinner has been moving in an Anglo-American direction.
Albert Heijn is the largest grocery store chain in Holland — and the oldest, founded way back in 1887. It its early years, customers were served one at a time by a clerk behind a counter (that’s how it was done everywhere in that day and age). Finally, in 1952, Albert Heijn introduced Dutch shoppers to the sort of self-service supermarket that had already become the norm in the United States. The company recently produced a Christmas-themed commercial that you’ll surely enjoy.
At the beginning of the spot, an old man is getting ready to go out. He’s dressing up in nice clothes and even does some ironing! When he gets to his destination, he hesitates just before ringing the doorbell. Despite the cold and rain, the old man pops over to an Albert Heijn store. An employee is just about to lock the store up for the evening, but she takes pity on the sweet-looking old man and lets him in. A short time later, with a small present in hand, he rings the doorbell and is greeted warmly by an older lady. It turns out he’s meeting his sweetheart’s family!
We’ve posted this utterly charming video for you below. It’s a really nice way for a grocery company to wish everyone a merry Christmas.
Let us know what you thought of the Albert Heijn Christmas spot in the comments at Facebook. Be sure to like and share: even the Grinches you know won’t be able to resist its message!
