Forget your standard 12-pack of holiday cards from the newsagency - there are only two words to describe Canberra man Tish Karunarathna's personalised Christmas cards: NEXT. LEVEL.
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In past years he's rescued a mermaid from Lake Burley Griffin, turned Hippo Bar into a winter Christmas cabin and once attempted a recreation of Prince's iconic Purple Rain album cover.
This year, he's dressed as the big man himself, packing a helicopter to deliver Christmas presents to the children of the world (ably assisted by two beautiful flight staff).
And all this from a man who doesn't even celebrate Christmas.
"That's part of why people love receiving the cards - because I'm Buddhist," Karunarathna said.
The next level personalised Christmas cards began in 2012 after Karunarathna, then an employee of The Canberra Times, was inspired by a stylised shoot being undertaken for a publication.
Not wanting to waste an opportunity for mischief, he and the creative director of the shoot, Mils Achi, conceived a glittery Christmas photo Tish could share on Facebook (Instagram wasn't "a thing" at that point).
Since then it's been a solo game of one-upmanship, as concepts for the card get more and more outrageous and more and more complex each year.
Karunarathna develops an idea for his card "in about October" and spends hours on the phone convincing Canberra people, businesses and stylists to help him deliver on his vision.
Somehow each year it works, and Karunarathna's only cost is the price of print.
"As they've gotten more elaborate, it's become more of a process recruiting talent," he said.
"Plus - if you star in one of my cards it's usually the beginning of great things. I've had restaurateurs, jewellers, international models and even one Miss World finalist."
Karunarathna, a client engagement director with local digital agency Isobar, prints about 200 cards every December and sends them to friends and family as far as Japan, the US, Sri Lanka and Iceland. He even sends it out to Isobar clients.
Isn't that a bit old school for someone who's so digitally savvy?
"Everything old is new again, eventually," he said.
"I write an inspirational message inside that captures the year and hopefully offsets how ridiculous the card is."
The 31-year-old admits it takes equal amounts of self deprecation and self confidence to star in a photo shoot, plaster yourself on the front of a card and send it out worldwide.
"I work in a creative industry and its given me an understanding of how to make things happen – and what better time than Christmas."
