Apple has published its Christmas-themed iPad TV commercial which emphasizes the use of FaceTime for keeping in touch with family and loved ones over the festive period, while drawing attention to the iPad mini's features.

The ad itself — spotted by MacStories — features a young girl who uses FaceTime to play the popular Christmas song I'll Be Home for Christmas to her grandfather.

The other key aspect of the ad sees the girl use a larger iPad, while her grandfather has an iPad mini. Like the Apple's first commercial for the iPad mini from early November, this shows that that the mini does not compromise on the features of larger device, despite its lower price and smaller size.

The ad spot is another in which Apple lets its devices and services do all the talking since there is no voice-over.

Mobile messaging and video has garnered plenty of attention over the last month or so, what with the rise of SnapChat, Facebook's owns take on the app — Poke, launched today — and its continued revamp of its Messaging service and rumors of a WhatsApp acquisition. Given these developments, and the fact that many families separated by distance will turn to Skype and other VoIP services to stay in touch over Christmas and New Year, it makes total sense that Apple is emphasizing the benefits of FaceTime.

The iPad mini is likely to be popular this Christmas since it offers all the features of the iPad at a lower price point. However, Google's Nexus 7 and 10 tablets and Amazon's new Kindle Fire range will appeal to more price conscientious buyers — which is where services like FaceTime and iMessage play to Apple's favor.

Related: Merry Christmas from Google: Employees get to choose from a free Chromebook, Motorola RAZR M or Nexus 7

Headline image via Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images