Surplus Halloween candy has barely cleared from supermarket shelves, but that hasn’t stopped Kroger from quickly getting into the Christmas spirit, with the company releasing its annual holiday ad campaign this morning that centers on the heartfelt, culinary connection between a generation of foreign exchange students and their loving host family.

Starring the grocer’s trademark “Kroji” characters (a portmanteau of Kroger and emoji), the 74-second animated film, dubbed “Cuisine Exchange,” opens with a childless couple welcoming a young Mexican pupil named Valentina into their home. Upon realizing she’s homesick, they set out to comfort her by cooking pozole for dinner—with ingredients purchased from Kroger, of course.

The traditional Mexican stew seems to abate her uneasiness, but soon she has to return home. 

The couple, though, soon welcome more exchange students——from Japan, Denmark and more—while “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran crescendos in the background. And the couple are in for a surprise at the end, as the campaign tagline “Food connects us all” settles over the table.

“Cuisine Exchange” was developed by adam&eveDDB New York. The animation was handled by Hornet, with Yves Geleyn and Mike Thurmeier co-directing.

This year’s push somewhat echoes Kroger’s 2022 holiday campaign, which focused on a “magical cookbook” that helped a grandfather relive fond memories. Both spots feature animated “Kroji” and heartwarming themes, both have similar running times, and both were directed by Geleyn and Thurmeier.

“If you think about our approach this year versus last year, we really celebrated holiday memories through a lifetime of different meals. This year’s film builds on that idea … that food is a big part of holiday memories,” said Tom Duncan, Kroger’s head of marketing.

The national campaign will run across cable TV and streaming in the form of 30- and 60-second cuts from today through Dec. 31. Additional radio, podcast and social media elements will also receive a “staggered” rollout in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Duncan said.

In mid-November, Kroger also plans to launch a campaign extension via its “Holiday Table” program, created with Dentsu Creative, in which international guests will exchange personal recipes and stories with people from across the U.S. in a series of social videos. Additionally, the company is releasing a “Holiday Remix” Spotify playlist full of classic holiday songs recorded in a variety of languages to complement its multicultural ad.