Once again, Apple has made a late entrance into the Christmas ad collection that the world is unlikely to overlook.

Sure, The Surprise is another relatable family story [read: tearjerker] and this Christmas, like all Christmases before it, is filled abundantly with those.

But it’s remarkable. Apple has a flair for family stories filled with maximum heart-tugging powers using un-idealised real-life ingredients and a little Apple magic.

Agency TBWA\ Media Arts Lab and director, Mark Molloy, have told a story about the Christmas most families have. These are not all joy and generosity, but overriding all the squabbling, clamour and travel hassles in the lead-up to Christmas there might be that one little event.

In this ad, that one little event is a video montage about their grandma, whom their grandfather is missing, that two sisters have put together on an iPad.

https://youtu.be/LDeRyyDrS40

Yes, Apple has told this story before. Apple’s first ad to steer away from purely product advertising, Misunderstood in 2013, also told the story of a difficult child who surprised his family on Christmas Day with a film made with love and an Apple product.

It’s still a wonderful Christmas wish. By the way, the film’s actors (the two girls are real sisters) were not shown the iPad montage until the film was shot. Their reactions are real. The song enhancing the film’s mood is Married Life by Michael Giacchino, which was also used in the Disney Pixar film, Up.