This festive season, beer brands are demonstrating their dedication to classical Christmas songs and creating their own modern versions of festive tunes. Grolsch has recently unveiled its own adaptation of the ‘Oh, Christmas Tree’ (‘O Tannenbaum’) carol—the best known version of which was  written in 1824 by Leipzig-based teacher Ernst Anschütz (the melody is an old folk tune). The beer brand created a video Christmas card, which features the Swingtop Philharmonic Orchestra playing the iconic melody on green bottles.

December is all about getting ready for Christmas and sharing gifts with the ones you love. While giving presents to each other is something men can do quite easily, sharing deep emotions is usually a much tougher thing. Taking this theme as the key one for its new marketing push, Johnnie Walker collaborated with the BBH NY agency to release a tongue-in-cheek spots exploring this purely male characteristic. “Say it without saying it,” encourages the tagline of the smart holiday campaign, which is rolling out on the brand’s website.

The Macallan Masters of Photography: Albert Watson Edition continues the celebration of two very different but highly revered art processes, photography and whisky-making. From December 1, two unique bottles of The Macallan—a 20 year old Sherry Oak and The Macallan 1946, paired with Watson’s portfolio and platinum prints, will be available to purchase around the world. To mark the launch, Watson’s photographic prints were unveiled in London, kicking off a global exhibition tour.

With less than 20 days left until Christmas, brands are presenting their own versions of the iconic ‘Jingle Bells’ carol, and each of them adds something special to the well-known song. Guinness GB teamed up with famous British ‘electro folk’ musician James Yuill to update the classical tune by playing on Guinness pint glasses in a pub. ‘Jingle Pints,’ the contemporary version of the 150-year old festive hit, can be heard in a new viral video, which was filmed between the musician’s Indonesian and South American trips.

On December 1, Heineken announced the global roll-out of the new iconic Heineken bottle, completing the redesign of its global brand packaging range. The restyling aims to streamline the visual identity and make the brand even more consistent and recognizable in all 170 markets worldwide. The new bottle will come in five different volume sizes and will be available in Western Europe at the beginning of 2011 and across the rest of the world by 2012.

Independent Film Channel (IFC) and Bombay Sapphire teamed up to create a detailed story about quality, taking the iconic gin brand as the example of perfection. The website of the Channel now features a documentary film ‘The Culture of Quality. The Artisans,’ which helps viewers get a better insight into the wonderful world of real gin and learn a lot about how it’s made.

December is the month to ‘Get Your Island On’ as Citrus, Cranberry Cherry and Mint all vie to become the newest addition to Malibu’s vibrant flavor portfolio in the ‘Malibu U Choose’ sweepstakes. Starting yesterday, fans can go to Malibu’s Facebook page or send a text message to vote for one of three delicious and distinctive flavors as Malibu’s newest expression. Each vote automatically gives participants a chance to win cool daily prizes, as well as one $1,000 grand prize to kick-off the New Year.