Employees at a local tattoo shop have decided to spread some cheer this holiday season.
Since November, staff at Neon Crab Tattoos and Piercings have been setting aside $10 from every tattoo they ink.
Owner Will Graham said they've been able to collect over $4,000 between the Sarnia (Exmouth Street) and London locations.
On Thursday, they'll be going to Giant Tiger in the Northgate Plaza and handing out gift cards to people waiting in line.
"I know that times are tough, and right now everyone is doing fundraising with toy drives and food collections," said Graham. "I had this notion that, given that times are tough, how can I ask people to keep emptying their pockets? We should be doing that ourselves."
Graham said the surprise giveaway was also done in London earlier this week, much to the delight of shoppers at Fresh Co.
"There were some people that really needed it," he said. "They were genuinely surprised and some were even apprehensive, they thought it was a scam. It was kind of fun to turn that around and tell them we were giving."
Graham said there can be a stigma attached to the appearance of some tattoo artists.
"I'm an artist first and a tattooist second," said Graham. "I know that there's the stigma that we're scary bikers or something like that. If this is one of the ways that we can try and reshape that stigma, then I am happy to do it."