Christmas crackers: 2024’s most creative festive greetings from agencies

From cheeky jabs at digital trends such as NFTs to a few broken teeth during a hockey game photoshoot and even wrapping paper featuring blunt truths instead of festive imagery, it’s a diverse selection box of holiday greetings.

Which one is your favorite?

Iris ‘Cathartic Crackers’

These Christmas crackers feature people who raised eyebrows and blood pressure this year. In a twist, Iris clients can snap the faces of these contentious characters from the worlds of politics, music and entertainment. It's a stress-busting way to end the year with a bang.

Neverland ‘Neverlander’

Introducing ‘Grow-a-Neverlander,’ a cutting-edge client service innovation to bring the magic of Neverland to clients’ homes this Christmas.

Equipped with hyper-advanced Dream, Plan and Hustle systems and an inbuilt simple truth processor, the ‘Grow-a-Neverlander’ has been precision-engineered to handle every challenge.

From rectifying a burnt turkey and crafting a quick-witted OOO message to helping our clients maintain a calm head while their in-laws talk politics, the ‘Grow-a-Neverlander’ is there to help clients get through any challenge; all they need to do is add water.

Please note, ‘Grow-a-Neverlander’ must not be fed after midnight.

Amplify ‘Santa Royale’

Amplify hopes to solve one of the festive season’s biggest questions with a new battle-style card game. Many countries have different holiday traditions and expectations of the man in the red suit. The question is, which Santa is truly the greatest of all time?

Santa Royale will allow players to prove which Santa is deserving of the fluffy red hat. Each card contains some information on Santa’s personality as well as likes and dislikes. Most important are the stats, which allow players to compare numerical data on cards to win their opponent’s card.

Amplify’s creative teams have come together to generate characters that represent each of the Amplify global office locations.

London Santa rides a fixed-gear sleigh, LA Santa stays incognito to avoid paparazzi, Sydney Santa catches waves and Père Noël’s sleigh is said to be sculpted by top artisans. Joining the festivities are NYC’s Gingerbread influencer, Crumbelina Bourgeois and DJ Elfy spinning tunes from her sleigh studio.

TMW ‘Festive Gobstoppers’

Dreaming of a family get-together without sly digs over the dinner table? You’re in luck!

While Christmas ads usually paint a picture of perfect harmony, the truth is we’re all pretty good at winding each other up over the festive season. Let’s face it – bickering is about as traditional as mince pies and turkey.

Whether it’s your mum dishing out parenting advice or your uncle hinting about his bonus, we all make those little comments that get on each other’s nerves.

TMW, part of Accenture Song, has stepped in to help this year with giant Festive Gobstoppers. Featuring five ‘foul flavors’ and some classic comments, these sweets are designed to help keep the peace… and quiet!

Good Agency ‘Good Christmas’

Good Agency has collaborated with Artbox London and Heart ‘n Soul’s learning-disabled and neurodivergent artists and commissioned four unique Christmas jumpers.

The jumpers were designed by Ashley, Giulia, Nicky and Shruti and modeled by Shruti. The campaign is supported by Good friends Konnie Huq, Fern Brady and Katie Piper.

Atomic London ‘NFT Lumps of Coal’

With the UK closing its last coal-powered power station, the country is officially coal-free for the first time since before the Industrial Revolution.

But this raises an important question: what can you give people on your naughty list now that a lump of coal is off the table?

Atomic London’s answer? NFT lumps of coal.

Even more useless than the real thing, these digital lumps are the perfect tongue-in-cheek gift for anyone who has misbehaved this year.

The agency is sending its clients and industry friends an email linking to a 3D-rendered NFT lump of coal housed on a retro-style website in a fittingly gray color palette.

The hyper-realistic 3D coal pokes fun at the age-old Christmas tradition while taking a playful swipe at both festive shopping madness and NFT hype.

The result is a clever mix of humor and cultural commentary inspired by the UK’s last coal-fired power plant closure. But it’s all done with a lighthearted touch. The site’s cheeky tone and stripped-back design make this a fun, ironic twist on holiday traditions – perfect for a digitally savvy crowd.

Klick Health ‘Holiday Hugs’

When dozens of Klick Health team members said they wouldn’t be able to hug loved ones over the festive season, the company turned to AI to orchestrate a series of sentimental, surprise reunions captured in its Holiday card.

Isobel ‘Team Isobel’

Covered in bruises, scars and revealing grins littered with broken teeth, the agency became professional ice hockey players for the day in its annual Christmas card shoot.

Sporting bold, custom red and yellow kits adorned with ‘Team isobel’ logos and complete with helmets, gloves and matching stripes, the team embraced the full NHL look for the striking image shot by the in-house crew.

BMB ‘Properly Honest Wrapping Paper’

BMB has created a refreshingly honest range of Christmas wrapping paper.

The special edition range was developed based on a universal truth – that finding the perfect present for a loved one is easier said than done.

The Christmas wrapping paper comes in six different designs, with intricately hand-drawn festive illustrations that add a subtle and playful twist on the usual cliches – each includes an honest message about gift giving.

The properly honest messages are: “I spent loads on this,” “I was on a tight budget,” “Many happy returns,” “This wasn’t for me so now it’s for you,” “This could go either way” and “This was a complete guess”

The wrapping paper is being sent out by BMB as its festive greeting this year.