Tesco’s 2013 Christmas advert opts for a hefty dose of nostalgia and a soundtrack by ageing rocker Rod Stewart in an ad that prefers realism to the airbrush.

The ad comes in the form of a family’s video-cam memories of Christmases in a household over six decades.

It is set to Stewart’s 1988 hit Forever Young, although the central characters age as their household expands over the years.

“The advert marks the start of our Christmas campaign, celebrating what makes Christmas special – a time to see family, have fun and give to others,” said Tesco marketing director David Wood.

“We had great fun building sets and laughing at fashions and toys of years gone by as we set the scene for the story of a family’s Christmases over six decades,” he added.

“We wanted to show what a real Christmas is all about - not a perfect, airbrushed one - but the ones we recognize from our own lives.”

The ad, created by Wieden+Kennedy, comes as Tesco projects festive sales of 1.5 million turkeys, three million bags of parsnips and 13 million packs of mince pies.

Despite the nostalgic theme Tesco is also expecting online to play a huge part in its sales. Last year 20% of online customers ordered their groceries via tablets or smartphones. “This Christmas, we expect it to be over 30%,” added Wood, who predicted many would be using the retailer’s new Hudl tablet, which nonetheless does not make an appearance in the ad.