There have been a few Christmas ads run recently that are considered to be in the running for the best of the holiday season so far. However, several are saying this ad beats them all. It’s an ad for Edeka, a German supermarket chain. And, while the commercial could be considered a bit controversial, the video itself went completely viral with over 18 million views in just four days!

The ad starts off melancholic and quickly turns to downright tragic, but it sends a very relative message and ultimately ends happily. The ad begins with an old man listening to a phone message from his daughter and grandchildren telling him that they cannot make it home for Christmas this year to see him, but will try again next year. You then see the old man eating dinners for one as he sits alone next to his Christmas tree, clearly longing for time with his family.

Each of his busy children then seem to get news that their father has passed away and so they each travel to mourn their loss together. When they arrive at their father’s home they find the table set for a nice big family dinner, and they also watch their father emerge from his kitchen. He says to them, “How else could I have brought you all together?”

Now, clearly this is not something we encourage anyone to try in order to get their entire family together for the holidays. But, one thing we do agree on is that these days everyone seems to be too busy or moving too fast to stop and really enjoy the things that matter. And, this commercial takes an extreme approach to prove this point.

What would it take to get you to stop and think about what really matters to you, about what you should be doing instead of checking off boxes on your long to do list, or about how or with who you’d like to be spending your holiday season? This ad may not attract more people into their stores, but it might raise Edeka’s brand awareness and send a very touching message to all who see it.