Carrying a bunch of flowers, the old man leaves his house and walks to the local cemetery. He places the flowers on a grave and stands for a moment, sad and shivering.

Next we see two laughing girls passing him on the street. He expects them to say hello, but they ignore him. So does a man reading his newspaper on a bench.

Then we see a young couple with a little dog, which leads them into the same pub the old man is heading for.

Inside it is warm and cosy, with a blazing fire and sparkling Christmas decorations. But with no one for company, the old man takes his seat alone at a table.

Suddenly, the dog trots across the floor and jumps up beside him. One of its owners hurries over and then asks if she and her partner can join him. The video ends with them laughing and clinking glasses together, and the words:

"There are no strangers here. Only friends you haven't yet met."

Put out by Charlie's Bar in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, the ad was made for just £700.

Within three days of its release it had received over 60,000 likes on TikTok.

It was even praised by a shop famous for its Christmas ads, John Lewis. The department store uses top advertising agenciesCompanies that make adverts for and promote other companies or groups. and spends hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The manager of Charlie's Bar, Una Burns, said the reaction to the ad was overwhelming. Asked about the idea behind it, she said: "It's just what I had seen in the pub over the years.

"And I suppose I just wanted to get across that message that it's not always a joyful, happy time for everybody - that some people find it really tough... and that a smile or a simple hello can go a long way."

A survey about Christmas¹ found that 17% of people in Britain felt more lonely during it. Another² found that those under 25 were just as likely to be lonely as those over 65.

Yes: Love is an incredibly strong force, and with friends and family to support us we can get through anything. Christmas is often difficult for old people because they have lost many of their loved ones.

No: Love certainly helps, but ultimately we all have to stand on our own two feet. We need to foster self-reliance so that we can cope when our friends and family are no longer there.

Or... Love is a mixed blessing - nothing gives more pleasure and nothing causes more pain. The world would be a much more sensible place without it, but it would also be much less interesting.

Advertising agencies - Companies that make adverts for and promote other companies or groups.