OSLO, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Norway’s state-owned postal support Posten is marking 50 decades given that Norway decriminalised exact same-intercourse associations with a heartwarming Christmas ad in which Santa Claus strikes up a romance with a gentleman termed Harry.

In the almost four-minute film identified as “When Harry satisfied Santa” – a nod to the 1989 intimate comedy “When Harry satisfied Sally…” starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan – Harry places Santa offering gifts to his property.

Assembly again every single Xmas over a quantity of years, the two slowly but surely develop a bond. But Santa’s busy agenda only allows for fleeting encounters – until eventually he enrols Norway’s Posten to aid with deliveries and the two are finally equipped to devote time with each other, and to kiss in the last scene.

“This yr it truly is all about enjoy – highlighting the truth that 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Norway,” Posten stated in a statement.

“In addition to displaying the flexibility of our providers, we want to set it in a socially suitable setting,” it stated.

With some 14,000 staff in general, authorities-owned Posten also has variety amid its staff members in phrases of age, gender, faith, sexual orientation and ethnicity.

“All people must sense welcome, observed, read, and bundled. This year’s Christmas ad embraces this,” it stated.

Reactions to the advert had been overwhelmingly favourable, a spokesperson for the mail service mentioned.

Among the these who commented publicly was former U.S. ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford, who is himself gay.

“Oh guy I like Scandinavia. Think about if the US Publish Workplace set out an advertisement like this,” he tweeted.

The “When Harry achieved Santa” advertisement was created by Norwegian imaginative agency POL and producers B-Reel Movies.

Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo and Ilze Filks in Stockholm Modifying by Raissa Kasolowsky

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