A Norwegian commercial in which Santa gets into a relationship with a man, including a kiss, has received international acclaim. The Norwegian postal company Posten Norge is celebrating with the advertisement that homosexuality has been banned in the country for exactly 50 years.
Wouter Peer
In When Harry met Santa – a reference to the well-known rom-com When Harry Met Sally – you follow a man, Harry, who meets Santa in the middle of the night while delivering presents to his house. The men look at each other and immediately seem to be in love. Still, Santa quickly flees through the chimney.
Every year the men meet again, and each time their bond improves. Harry dresses in his Easter best and the two give each other gifts. But duty calls: Santa Claus always has to leave. “I’m going to miss you,” you hear Santa say over a shot of Harry crying the day after Christmas.
Then Harry writes a letter, addressed to the North Pole, saying ‘All I want for Christmas is you. He is surprised when that year not Santa Claus, but a postman brings the presents to the door, and Santa Claus is in his living room. “I’ve arranged help this year…so I can be with you,” says Santa. The men then share a deep kiss, after which the camera zooms out.
much praise
Posten’s Christmas advertising is highly praised not only in Norway itself, but also internationally. In the comments on YouTube you can read that many people are moved to tears, and positive tweets are also raining on Twitter.
At Philip Tijsma of COC Netherlands, the advertisement also brought a smile to the face. ,,It is a very nice and endearing advertisement, and in the naturalness of what is depicted lies its strength. It is extremely important that people with sexual and gender identities other than what is considered normal are featured in movies and series, as well as in commercials. By portraying a relationship between two men in all normality and obviousness, you also make it more normal. Without visibility there is no acceptance, that’s what it comes down to, and that is certainly still necessary. A third of Dutch people still find a kiss between two men offensive.”
By depicting a relationship between two men in all obviousness, you also make it more normal
Not a political issue
Normally Posten’s Christmas commercials are a lot more humorous. That’s how they strike earlier made fun of Donald Trump’s unusual tweets, and wondered another christmas commercial wonder if the virgin Mary was really a virgin. This year they took a different path. Marketing Director Monica Solberg explains: ,,Posting is an inclusive workplace with a lot of diversity. As always, the main goal of the campaign is to show that Post is always innovating. In addition to the flexibility of our services, we want to place them in a socially relevant setting, with themes that are important to the society around us and to us at Posten.”
Not all reactions are positive, but the company was prepared for that, says Solberg. She rejects the sentiment that the commercial mixes Christmas with politics. “The right to love whoever you want is a fundamental human right and will not be considered a political issue in free democratic societies in 2021. The Norwegian Post has been connecting people for 375 years and will continue to do so regardless of orientation or gender identity.”
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