Strategy is posting all of the holiday greetings, techy tools and quirky products Canadian agencies have created this year, as they come in. If you want to submit your own holiday card, get in touch. And be sure to check out the first round of holiday cards from last week. 

Zulu Alpha Kilo puts briefs and pencils under the tree

The Scrooges at Zulu are upending holiday convention at the expense of kids. Instead of giving them something that is, you know, actually fun, it’s giving the “gift of advertising” – in the form of things like RFPs and various industry awards – to a young and very unreceptive audience. While these kids might not be happy with their re-gifts, the agency is at least trying to make sure some others will be this holiday, as it is making a sizable donation to Toys for Tots.

The video is the latest way the agency has poked fun at the industry, like this year’s Agency of the Year video, where a creative tried to explain to dinner guests why the “Left Handed Mango Chutney” he created was an impressive accomplishment. But this has also been given a charitable bent: Six jars of “Left Handed Mango Chutney” have been produced and are currently being auctioned off. Proceeds from the auction – which ends Dec. 20 – will be given to Food Banks Canada to aid its efforts during the holidays, with the agency matching the amount with an equal donation.

Scratch issues an RFP for a Santa rebrand

While jolly Saint Nick has the market more or less cornered on global holiday gift giving, it doesn’t mean the brand is infallible. Scratch put together an RFP to overhaul the image of Santa: “Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you update my brand tonight.”

The RFP link includes a SWOT analysis, not just of strengths (being magical and having a massive consumer audience) but also acknowledging the threats to public perception that come from say, an unimaginable carbon footprint from all that travel.

Fuse Create makes zeitgeist wrapping paper

The Oscars “slap heard around the world” and the metaphorical slap in the face of consumers that was Rogers’ massive service outage were among the most talked about events of the year. Fuse Create made some wrapping paper to commemorate these and other water cooler subjects like the antics of Elon Musk. Artwork on the paper is by Mike Carter, and it can be purchased from Fuse’s Shopify store.

Big Pig make a pitch for classic gifts

The “wise” acres at Toronto production company Big Pig think they know what to get for that person who has everything: gold, frankincense and myrrh. They make the case that the first Christmas presents ever given are still the best. 

Us Communications’ GIF that keeps on Giving

In a hyper-inflation environment, Us Communications wanted to create something fun to celebrate the holidays that isn’t attached to any client or brief. The result: GifBaskets. Simply grab a basket, select a favorite GIF like SpongeBob SquarePants or Jack Torrance from The Shining and then send it to that special someone..

Banfield gets a hand from AI

Banfield serves a number of federal public service departments, crown corporation and other organizations that have strict rules when it comes to receiving gifts and benefits — so, to avoid any claims of conflict of interest of bribery, the shop decided to outsource its gift giving to AI.

The agency gave each client a unique piece of AI art created from words that described the work it had done together the previous year.