It’s the holiday season, that time of year when agencies send out holiday greetings cards in one form or another to spread cheer and show off their creative chops. 

This year, however, some agencies are bowing out of the card giving tradition to focus on charitable causes. 

Huntington Beach, CA-based agency Innocean just announced that it’s making cards this year, but you’re not getting one. Nobody is. The cards are made of seed paper, and they’re being tossed in the dirt in and around LA to help restore land damaged by the horrific wildfires that swept through the area a year ago.  

In lieu of gifts the agency is donating to Plant Community LA, a non-profit group focused on restoring native habitats to the region. 

Omnicom agency Rapp has also opted out of sending cards this year to partner with Agin and Mission Care Homes, which provides services to the elderly, disabled and others in need. Rapp employees are buying gifts for residents and is encouraging anyone who cares to donate via this link. 

Some agencies are making cards/videos and making donations. 

Klick Health made a holiday video called Many Hands about its partnership with Kenya’s Baraka Hospital (which the agency helped build) to provide access to 1,600 surgeries for people across the country’s Mara region. 

For every view, Klick will donate $1 to the Hospital (up to $10,000). Viewers are also encouraged to donate via the QR code at the end of the video. 

Agency Marcus Thomas offered a unique twist on its Season’s Greetings offering this year, creating a live, interactive karaoke show. Agency staff performed holiday classics while clients and others watched online sending instant “feedback” that changed how the performances played out. An example: Staffers singing one tune were instructed to do it again, after inhaling helium. The performance was simulcast across LinkedIn and Instagram on December 11th.