Now that December has arrived, the holiday cards and gifts from Canada’s ad agencies are beginning to roll in. Here are the ones strategy has received so far. Check back here again over the coming weeks to see all the ways the shops are commemorating the season. For more cards, check out part one and, if your agency has something festive to share, feel free to give us a shout.

Zulu Alpha Kilo makes Santa shed some tears (of joy, of course)

In the past, Zulu has shown its love for musicians – both digitally and in-person – during the holiday. This year, however, it sought to spread some festive cheer to a person who has dedicated a lot of his time volunteering to do the same.

Bob Kier has been donning the Santa Suit for Childcan – the Childhood Cancer Research Association – for 57 years, “and it’s something I’ll do until I can’t do it any longer,” he says. Each year, he turns up for the organization at fundraisers and spreads joy to sick children. Suffice to say, he’s got an impressive CV as Saint Nick.

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Zulu Alpha Kilo hired Kier to serve as Santa for its kids’ Christmas party. Over Zoom, he gave greetings to all of the junior Zuligans. But when he asked them what they wanted for Christmas, each kid said “nothing.” That’s when Kier started to catch on – and the kids thanked him for his hard work over the years.

The gesture of gratitude brought Kier to tears. But Zulu wasn’t done. The agency also made a generous donation in his name to Childcan, the charity he has given so much of his time.

Here Be Monsters pose the classic question

Naughty or nice? That’s the question Here Be Monsters asked of its clients, partners and peers in a simple online survey.

The agency is looking to collect polling data from its network after almost two years of pandemic living. “It’s a playful and binary question that lets us take the pulse of our network and thank them for working with us through thick and thin times,” explains Chris Raedcher, managing director and partner at the agency.

Here Be Monster’s team has made a sort of game of the poll internally, placing bets on which side will win. But voters are winners, too: those who choose naughty will receive a decadent gift, but those who choose Nice will have the agency pay a little kindness forward. While respondents can see how the poll is going, they aren’t told what they’ll be receiving.

“We want a genuine answer,” says Tony Hird, CD and partner with the agency. “And once the Holidays are done, I think we’ll let everyone know how people were feeling this year. I know I’m feeling pretty naughty, but that’s just me.”

Klick Health enlists its team to aid in the merrymaking

There was a whole lot of nice coming from the Klick Health team this holiday season. That’s because the agency armed its Klicksters with a $100 bill and a simple mission: spread joy.

The 630 Klicksters then went about finding unique ways to do just that. Some worked in tandem, while others flew solo, but all of them donned the Klick Health apparel and filmed their own methods of spreading joy: supporting local businesses and public service providers, paying a neighbourhood barista a very generous tip, hiring a five-piece brass band to entertain residents of a retirement community, stocking up a little free library – the permutations were endless, but the goal was always the same.

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In all, 284 acts of kindness were recorded across six provinces and 15 states. Almost 10 and a half hours of footage was shot by the Klicksters, which was then edited down to a 3-minute highlight video showcasing the project and communicating the simplest of messages: “When you give joy, you get joy.”

Klick doubled down on its giving, too, by donating $1 for every one of the first 10,000 views on the video to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Hive finds a practical use for ugly Yule sweaters

Whether you’re the type who wears these fashion faux pas ironically, or the kind of person whose poor sartorial choices is a personality trait, The Hive has a sweater for you.

It’s ugly, but it also has a good use: knitted into the fabric is a QR code you can scan to show proof of vaccination the next time you go to grab some joyous libations.

A quick scan will show your name, date of birth and vaccination status and – while it’s not a substitute for official government documents – it might just be enough to get a pass – with (questionable) style, of course.

“The vaccine code is so cold and government-y,” says Mitch Duesling, ACD with The Hive. “We felt the Ugly Sweater Passport was a nice way to add some classic holiday fun and joy into the COVID holiday season.

Just don’t blame The Hive if you regret your decision when reviewing the family photo album a few years down the line.