Today social media has been ablaze with commentary about the new Sainsbury’s Christmas advert.
It tells the astonishing story of the 1914 Christmas Truce. In the midst of one of the most bitterly fought wars the world had seen to date, at Christmas soldiers from both sides called an unofficial truce.
They met in no man’s land to celebrate their own humanity, putting their differences aside to share food, sing carols, hold joint burial ceremonies, and most famously, play football.
It’s an incredible story of humanity triumphing over unbearable atrocities and destruction.
Sainsbury’s worked with the Royal British Legion to produce it, but opinion today has been hugely split, because at the end of a beautifully shot advert, the words “Christmas is for sharing” appear, followed by the Sainbury’s logo.
It was always going to be polarising to use such an emotionally charged period in time for advertising. Some people have accused the supermarket of being crass, while others have applauded its work with the Royal British Legion to remember those lost in battle.
It’s an important moment in history that should certainly never be forgotten. Whether it’s insensitive or not, is a question for each viewer to answer personally.