Try not to cry after watching this viral German Christmas commercial until the very end

I hope you are stocked up on tissue, folks, for 'tis the season for tear-jerking Christmas ads! This year, in particular, advertising firms seem to be competing against each other to see which one of them can get us to cry the hardest and it appears as though we now have a winner. Featuring a weightlifting grandfather, a two-minute ad from Dutch pharmaceuticals company DocMorris has chalked up almost 9 million views on YouTube as of Thursday morning and millions more on other social media platforms. Having watched the ad at least 12 times by now, I can assure you it is more than deserving of the title of the 'best holiday ad of 2020.'

According to TODAY, the spot was created by the German ad agency Jung von Matt. It follows the story of a loving grandfather to get in shape for Christmas with his family for the most heartwarming reason. The ad takes us through the old man's fitness journey as he wakes up early in the morning to an alarm every day and gets to work with an old kettlebell in his workshop. Although he starts off by barely being able to drag it around outside while neighbors and passersby gawk at his antics, he quickly gets better with determination and consistency.

Despite struggling to lift the equipment some days, the grandpa motivates himself with a mysterious photo which is only revealed to the audience at the very end by which time your eyes are sure to be blurry with tears. As he gets better each day, we see him lifting amid the autumn trees and the winter snow in a tracksuit until it's finally time for Christmas dinner with his loved ones. The old man puts on a dapper suit for the event and prepares a nice little gift for a special someone and sets out to reap the benefit of his hard work.

It is then that we see that all his hard work and sweat were for none other than his adorable granddaughter whom he wanted to lift to help her put the star on top of their Christmas tree. The words, "So that you can take care of what really matters in life," appear on the screen at the end of the commercial as the man's daughter is shown crying; an accurate reflection of the viewers' state of mind by that point. 

A description of the advert on DocMorris' YouTube page, translated from German, reads: "This year is the best gift of all that we are fine and healthy. That is why your health is also a matter close to our heart. So that, especially at Christmas, you can take care of what really matters in life: to spend a carefree time with your family and loved ones. DocMorris wishes you and all your relatives a happy and unforgettable celebration. Stay healthy!" The ad sparked some pretty raw emotions in viewers, many of whom turned to Twitter to share the heartwarming video with others and confess how much it had made them cry.

"This commercial took me down and made me cry right at my work desk today. I showed it to three coworkers, and all three also ended up in tears. This is absolutely lovely," @peacewillfollow tweeted. "I did not know where this was going but now... I’m ugly crying," wrote @_SJPeace_. "When a German chemist wins Xmas. Well played @docmorris," @milesSI stated. I don't know about you but I'm about to watch the commercial a zillion more times and cry myself to sleep.