Before our eyes, Toyota reminds us of the joy of loving well, and loving creatively. Maybe our minds go back to our own sweet grandmas who demonstrated love to us. Possibly, it is an adopted grandma through your church, work, or friend’s parent. Possibly, the commercial reminds you of your own aging parent or special friend. Regardless of who you remember, take a moment to say a word of gratitude to God for sweet memories. 

Chevrolet made the best Christmas commercial so far of the season, but a close second is this commercial by Toyota. When my twelve-year-old son saw the commercial with me, he immediately said, “Dad, another one! They just keep making great commercials with elders in them.” Let me encourage you to watch it below first, then I’ll respond to it. 

Video: Toyota Present from the Past 

Not quite the tear-jerker as the Chevrolet commercial, but sweet nevertheless.

“Present from the Past”

Toyota hits a homerun with this commercial that celebrates the relationship between a granddaughter and her grandmother. The granddaughter picks up a package on a snowy day from the post office. She gets in her Toyota pickup where she opens it. The package contains a very old camera with some pictures from her grandma. As the granddaughter looks through the package, in the grandma’s voice, you hear the letter the with the gift, “When I was your age, I was given this camera. May it capture your big, beautiful life the way it did mine. Love, Grandma.”

The daughter jumps in her new Toyota truck and sets out on a journey. As you watch, you realize the sweet journey is capturing some of the same places and people of grandma’s life. There is a beautiful mix of old and new photographs, along with some Toyota trucks.

At the end of the commercial, the granddaughter presents the grandma with a picture album. In it, the old pictures rests next to new pictures capturing both the grandma and granddaughter’s lives together. The special relationship and love of a grandma and granddaughter celebrated in random pictures of the grandma’s past. It ends with the granddaughter and grandma hugging, “Merry Christmas, grandma.”

Read More