Apple’s New Christmas Ad Might Actually Make You Cry

One kid with his head buried in his iPhone through the holidays comes up with a stunning present

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Robert Galbraith / REUTERS

It must be a little dusty in here, because there’s something in our eye. Or maybe it’s because we were just watching Apple’s new holiday ad. The 90-second spot shows off the power of the new iPhone, all while tugging at the heartstrings.

The best holiday ads have always leaned heavily on simplicity, nostalgia and a strong sense of family — who can forget the Folgers ad where the son comes home from college to surprise the family on Christmas morning — it’s endured since 1985. Apple is taking a page from that playbook with their new holiday-centric commercial, “Misunderstood.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImlmVqH_5HM&sns=fb

It’s the story of a young teenager who heads to his grandparents’ house for the holidays. We first see him as the family is hitting the road, and he promptly has his nose in his iPhone. Throughout the next couple of days, while the family sleds, bakes cookies, has snowball fights and enjoys each other’s company, our young protagonist is constantly buried in his phone.

But it turns out he wasn’t Snapchatting friends or playing Candy Crush. He was recording the entire trip to cut a well-edited video that’s his gift to the family on Christmas morning. We’ll let that sink in for a minute.