Despite the efforts of multiple advertisers to jolly us into the Christmas spirit in their holiday ads so far, the teenage protagonist in an ad by midwest retail chain Meijer just isn't feeling it in 2020. And maybe she speaks for many of us. 

"They might as well just cancel Christmas...they've canceled everything else," she mutters moodily as her little sister and parents decorate the tree and try to make things look festive. (She might be the long-lost soulmate of the animated teenager in the McDonald's ad from the U.K. this year.) However, she's dispatched off to cheer up her sister, and the two start singing  the opening lines of "Santa Claus is coming to town" together. The endline: "Believe...Christmas is coming," gives the word a new poignancy for 2020. 

The spot was created by The Distillery Project, and directed by Biscuit's Noam Murro, the director behind feature film work like “300: Rise of an Empire."

"The Meijer holiday spot has never been about selling product—it’s always been more of a Christmas wish for the community,” says John Condon,founder and chief creative officer of The Distillery Project, in a statement. “This spot is about empathy and hope—we’re not at our best when we pout, even though it’s a totally legitimate reaction to everything that’s happened this year.”

The work is airing on network and cable TV in regions where Meijer has stores as well as online, with an emphasis on YouTube and paid social media. Buys include NBC's Sunday Night Football,” “The Sound of Music” (ABC), “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas the Musical” (NBC), “The American Music Awards” (ABC), and “Fox NFL.”