Forget electronic Christmas cards and expensive office parties for your clients this holiday season. Follow the advice of Red the Agency and send them "re-gifted" junk from your office.

Edmonton-based Red sent 1,400 e-mails to clients and friends in mid-December inviting them to enter a contest to win some "precious junk."

Clicking on a gift icon brings up a brief video of Red staff offering items ranging from an antique zip drive to used coffee mugs to an account manager's survival kit complete with tie, martini glass and half-empty booze bottles. Recipients can enter a draw to receive a randomly selected recycled gift.

"There are so many cards that people get at this time of year that don't translate the essence of what the agency is about," explained creative director Ryan Kelly. "We also wanted to have some fun."

So the Red team looked around their desks at all the "stuff" that accumulated over the years and decided to give it away. The contest videos also serve a more serious purpose of introducing clients to some of the behind-the-scenes staff they might normally never meet.

Winners will be drawn next week and will actually receive their second-hand prizes. "I personally am looking forward to gifting someone with my file of talent head shots," said Kelly.

Kelly said the agency is pleased with the response to the contest. Over 100 people have entered and an equivalent number "told us they don't want any of the stuff, but they had a good laugh."