Cost of living: 'Santa's poorly' Christmas ad goes viral

An alternative Christmas advert which portrays a bereaved father struggling to make Christmas special for his son has gone viral on social media.

The video, entitled The GoKart, was shot by a team of young videographers in West Yorkshire and has attracted millions of views.

Filmmaker Sam Teale, 20, said they wanted to create something that reflected the cost of living crisis.

The message is "Christmas is made, not bought", he said.

The film was shot in Mr Teale's home town of Cleckheaton and features his former school, his local barber shop, park and the graveyard where his grandfather is buried.

In one of the scenes, the barber asks the boy what he is getting for Christmas, to which he replies "Santa is poorly this year".

It ends with a scene in the graveyard, where the boy - sitting on a go-kart made by his dad - wishes his "mummy" a merry Christmas.

Mr Teale said the video portrayed the stark reality of what many families were facing amid a cost of living crisis, and brought home the message that Christmas was about "the people you are with" and "thinking about lost loved ones".

"It resonated with people in a way I never expected," he said.

Since being published on Wednesday, the video, which is billed as an "alternative John Lewis advert", has attracted more than seven million views on Facebook and a similar number on TikTok.

Mr Teale said it was important to depict "the true reality of Christmas" for many this year, adding that the young boy in the advert would gladly sacrifice his go-kart to have his mum back.

Talking about the response, he said the video comments section had also become its own little community, with people sharing their stories and wanting to donate money to help others.

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