Never forget when Sega released the best Christmas art of all time

December is the perfect time for brands to flex their festive spirit with seasonal ads, Christmas campaigns and in Sega's case, bizarre holiday-themed art. Back in 2009, the games company released what it thought would be a wholesome Christmas art piece to spread holiday cheer – what they actually created was the most unintentionally chaotic piece of Christmas-themed gaming art of all time.

Perhaps it's the oddly nostalgic art style or the motley crew of random Sega characters, but there's something charmingly disturbing about this festive illustration. Gaming trends may come and go, but this archival piece of gaming history lives on forever in my heart.

The bizarre artwork features four of Sega's most unlikely characters mashed together in a sort of mock family portrait. Bayonetta cradles Super Monkey Balls' AiAi, whilst a random Xenomorph lurks in the corner of the room (oh, and they've also banged Sonic right in the centre for good measure). The weird scene sparked amusement among fans, with one tweeting "Hey @SEGA can you please explain this OFFICIAL ART from 2009". The game company's response? A hilariously blunt "No".

I for one enjoy the mysterious lore behind this iconic piece and hope that it will continue to be an artistic enigma for years to come. For more festive news, check out these wonderfully silly Sonic 3 parody Christmas movie posters. If you're more game art, take a look at how Nekki is designing "visually striking" boss characters for the video game SPINE.