Hey, Gamer. Getchyer Face on Times Square!

Every Saturday in November, registrants for Gillette/EA's Champions of Gaming Tournament could have their avatars broadcast in gigantovision over the NASDAQ and Reuters signs in Times Square. (Those chosen will be emailed and sent a picture of their billboard for posterity.)

Few things are cheaper or more effective than a shout-out. See PGA Tour '09 variant.

By Proximity Canada in tandem with BBDO/New York.

For the Unloveables on Your List.

I have this cousin, Dave, who spends every Thanksgiving prancing around and telling everyone to get him gift cards from a strict selection of stores, otherwise "I'LL RETURN YOUR PRESENT AND CALL YOU CHEAP!" after Christmas.

Seriously. We're in our mid-twenties and he still does this.

One year, to curb expenses following a rabbit-like baby boom, the family held a Secret Santa and I was unfortunate enough to draw his name. After ferreting me out with admirable speed, he spent the next three weeks SMS-bombing me with potentially awesome gift options.

When the holidays roll around, there are few things I want to do less than shop for Dave.

The Ungiftables by Cafepress is a site for exactly these people. Who's the bane of your list? Critical Mother-in-Law? Emo Nephew? Flip-Flop Wearing Liberal Activist Uni Brat?

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For that Reluctant Kiss, Cake it On with Sephora!

To better equip users for that awkward mistletoe moment, makeup purveyor Sephora launched MistletoeMakeover. Upload your face and watch with glee while the internets hoochie you up.

At left is the perennially-demure Alex Bogusky in Santa's Little Temptress mode. (Steve Hall is arguably prettier though. Also, he winks, which gave me the most delicious chills.) Other potentially traumatic beautification options include O Tannen-Babe, Smokey Sugar Plum and Merry Berry.

If for some odd reason one of these looks puts you in impulse-buy-mode, hit "Get This Look" and snap up promo code KISSorWINK. Turn it in at Sephora.com for free lashes or a lipstick sample with a purchase.

Be quick! Like your youth, mistletoe wilts.

By EVB/San Francisco in conjunction with TAAZ.

McDonald's Brings Holiday Cheer With Coffee-Ring Snowflakes

As the holiday season draws near, marketers are rolling out holiday offerings and McDonald's is no exception. With its McCafe Make Your Own Coffee-Ring Snowflake site, visitors can get all festive and create their own floating masterpiece. All in the name of promoting McDonald's various holiday lattes and cappuccinos.

Get started early this season and make a flake.

Because PB&J Should Be More Democratic than It Is.

Here's a pretty idea. To drive donations to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Leo Burnett/Chicago and Starcom remind shoppers that "food shouldn't be a luxury."

To illustrate the point, ordinary items -- soup, broccoli, PB&J sandwiches -- are positioned as luxury goods, languishing in the manicured hands of luxe porcelain models.

The bottom portion of each piece invites viewers to donate what they can to the Depository. "Text MEALS to 90999 to give $5," it adds -- simple enough to do on impulse.

If you're in the Chi, expect to see these on CTA buses and rail cars from now to December 31st.

Sexting, Nuggnuts, Blogger Bailouts, In-Game Ads on Saints Row

- Massive inked a multi-year, in-game ad deal with THQ. So far, the only game that will for certain feature dynamic advertising is Saints Row 2.

- Queen Rania of Jordan has won the first-ever YouTube Visionary award for her daily videocast. I kind of love her.

- Six Apart has launched something called the TypePad Journalist Bailout Program. Under it, about 30 ex-bloggers or journalists will receive a free TypePad Pro account, tech support, representation on Blogs.com and auto-enrollment into Six Apart's ad network. 300 applications were received in less than two weeks.

- "Diddy is so Sarah Palin."

- Close-up on crotchvertising.

- New buzz word: sexting! Almost as fun as nuggnut. (Click on "Nuggnut pledge" for awesome brainwashing action.)

Great Creative Needs Attentive Cultivation

This tongue in cheek video from Creative Juices for The South West Creative Grower's Association has been out for quite a while but its content is worth highlighting. The primary message is one of creativity. "You can't go wrong with a good idea" says the chief vintner of Creative Industries, a 300 year old, family-owned cultivator of vineyard-grown creative people.

It's quirky and it's funny but it carries an important message. Despite the world crumbling around us, a really good, well-cultivated good idea can weather even the worst of economic downturns. So let your creative juices flow and make sure your clients don't harvest them before they are ready.

No, Even Lexus Can't Top the Big-Wheel Memory

Every holiday season Lexus busts out with a campaign featuring some pearl-coloured vehicle with a bow on top. Far from perfect -- whose pursuit Lexus claims to champion -- it's mediocre and irritating. Like weathered nativity scenes.

Last night we thought we saw something different. The comfortingly low-fi "Big Wheel" bears the consistency of old home videos or a classic holiday movie. In it, a kid with a new plastic trike faces us and cries, "Stop! What are you doing? You can't top the big-wheel memory!"

We ruminate on our own '80s-era big wheels as he reprises us on its merits: the freedom! The wind in your hair!

Then there's an awkward cut. The kid is a man, and now he's facing a Lexus -- with a bow. And we're like, "Fuck, this could have been so much better."

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Gay Marriage Should Not Be Such A Big Deal

Is it really that difficult to let two people who love each other live their lives they way they choose? After all, what business do people have sticking their noses into the business of others? Is it really so hard to just live one's life and allow others to live theirs without judgment? If two people love each other, who are we to judge?

While a marriage between two male priest performed by a female priest may not yet be as innocuous as the next, Swedish fashion designer Bjorn Borg asks us to envision such a world.

Must we be so judgmental of others? Can't we just appreciate the happiness and love shared between two people? Is it really that difficult?

Detroit Pistons Reinforce Sporting Mentality Stereotypes

In what has to be the worst sports team promotion ever created in the history of sports team promotions, the Detroit Pistons are out with a video promoting Guy's Night Out. Complete with horrible acting, cheesy music, ridiculous copy and infomercial-style visuals and supers, does nothing but cement outdated stereotypes of sports-crazy idiots and their bitchy, whining wives.

One can only hope the goal of the work was to create something so horrific, it would achieve "so-bad-it's-good" status. If that's the case, though well-intentioned, the creators have failed miserably.