Hasta La Creative!

Betabrand satirizes Christmas creep in its first video game, Santa Sleighs Halloween, as you play as Mr. Claus armed with a blunderbuss and a candy cane shiv. Your mission? To make sure no fall holiday is safe from the encroaching consumerism of the season. Clothing retailer Betabrand created the game “to lampoon the early onset of holiday sales—a retail trend that will surely morph Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas into a three-headed shopping Cerberus.”

Which it is indeed. All my local stores started putting out their Christmas crud weeks ago. It does seem that no matter how many times consumers complain about holiday creep, stores just can’t help themselves.

At least Betabrand knows what’s up. They hired digital agency Bradley and Montgomery to create the game, in which Kris Kringle kills mummies, werewolves, witches, zombies, vampires and Frankenstein in an unholy quest to become the one true holiday.

And it’s more than just a game. When you play, you can unlock deal codes and humorous specials. So, if you want some sweet swag from Betabrand, be prepared to plunge your candy cane stake right into Dracula’s heart.