A family reunion with festive decorations indoors, with an older adult male and two older females smiling amidst holiday lights and a carousel-like structure. 4:18
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Parents get a Christmas surprise from Seoul

Kathleen and Bob flew from Halifax to London believing they had been picked for a WestJet commercial. Nobody told them who else was coming. more

The commercial was a ruse. WestJet plays Secret Santa every year, and this time it built the surprise on the one tradition that rises above the rest: "Christmas should be spent with the ones that you love." So the airline went looking for people who missed someone the most, then came up with "a make-believe commercial" to bring them in.

A person dressed as Santa Claus, with a white beard and glasses, smiles and waves at the camera. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
In the airline's Christmas story, Santa searches the world for the tradition that matters most.

Kathleen and Bob's oldest daughter, Jennifer, has lived in Seoul for seven years. "I would love to have been traveling with Jennifer," one of them says. "I don't get to see her very often." Then, to her: "I miss you, Jen. I sure wish you were here with me."

An older woman with gray hair and glasses speaks while another person listens nearby. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
The guests talk about the people they miss, with no idea what has been planned.

Two other surprises are in the works. One is for a fun-loving couple whose best friends, the first people they met after a move, now live all the way around the world. "I just miss them like crazy," one of them says. "I can't even say anything."

The other is for a woman whose boyfriend, Austin, lives far away. They met at a country festival in Las Vegas, the one where the shooting happened, and how she handled that day showed him the kind of person she was. They have been doing long distance ever since. "The most important thing for me now," he says, "is just to see her."

Then, while Kathleen and Bob are out shopping in London, Jennifer surprises them. In a moment she has her arms around both of them at once. The other guests get their surprises too. Then it's Christmas in London, with the people they missed right beside them, sharing traditions and having a ball.

A family reunion with festive decorations indoors, with an older adult male and two older females smiling amidst holiday lights and a carousel-like structure. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Kathleen and Bob flew from Halifax to London believing they had been picked for a WestJet commercial.

Yes, it's an airline ad, and the people who look forward to these every Christmas know it. They cry anyway.

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