Sainsbury’s Commercial Shows Soldiers Playing Soccer During World War I Christmas Truce

Over in the UK, the above commercial for supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is attracting a lot of attention. The beautifully produced ad depicts the famous Christmas Truce of 1914, in which German and British troops put down their weapons and met up in no-mans land, where, among other things, they played soccer.

The ad has attracted some criticism for using WWI to shift product at Christmas and for depicting the war as anything less than horrific. But I like the idea of one of the few unequivocally positive, heartwarming stories from the war being beautifully dramatized and seen by millions … and if you can get through the last 60 seconds with dry eyes then you’re a tougher man than I’ll ever be.