German retailer Edeka is known for its depressing ads. Remember the 2015 effort in which a man organized his own funeral in order to get his family to gather for the holiday? Also, 2016's ad depicted a miserable, stressed-out family and its 2020 spot touched on racial prejudice.

So it's kind of a surprise that this year's ad, "Drip the Snowdrop," opens on what seems at first to be a whimsical animation about drops of snow heading off to snowflake school. Keep watching, though, because Edeka won't disappoint you.

The spot, by Jung von Matt Hamburg, sees Drip excitedly get ready for his big day as a snowflake as he travels to "Snow Academy" in the clouds. The drops of snow assemble at the "snow zone" and dive through the clouds like paratroopers. But then, there's a problem. We won't spoil the ending but suffice to say it has a very topical message for 2021.

The ad, directed by Christopher Riggert via Anorak Berlin, with animation by The Mill, is running online until mid-January.