It’s that wonderful time of year when tech companies set aside their quarterly reports and stock price charts to fight for a much more important goal: who can deliver the strangest, most spectacular, or most cringeworthy holiday robot video. This is the modern digital Christmas card, where dancing robot dogs and AI-generated kitsch parades replace snowy landscapes. Let’s see what the 2025 season has brought!
The most unexpected entry in this year’s competition was undoubtedly Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who decided to unwind with some humanoid robots amid geopolitical tensions. The footage, filmed at a commercial fair in Caracas, quickly went viral. The president dances to traditional Venezuelan Christmas music with the somewhat stiff-moving machines, and the whole scene is simultaneously surreal and endlessly entertaining. It’s hard to decide whether this is a harbinger of a dystopian future or just a really weird PR stunt.
Humanoid Helpers on Holiday Shift
On the humanoid robot front, manufacturers balanced between utility and entertainment this year. A British startup, Humanoid, showcased their HMND 01 robot recreating the famous scene from the Christmas classic Love Actually. The robot imitates Rowan Atkinson’s character’s infinitely meticulous and slow gift-wrapping style, which is a perfect demonstration of fine motor skills – and why we wouldn’t trust it with last-minute gift wrapping.
Meanwhile, Tesla brought its Optimus robot to Europe, where it appeared at a Christmas market in a Berlin shopping center. The humanoid handed out popcorn to the curious crowd and responded to each “thank you” with a friendly thumbs up. While the demonstration was impressive, it remained questionable how autonomously the robot performed its task. Nevertheless, the scene was effective and generated long queues at the stand.
Boston Dynamics: Where Creativity Went on Vacation
Boston Dynamics, which previously delivered arguably the industry’s most spectacular Christmas videos, was surprisingly subdued this year. In their New Year’s greeting, their Stretch robot, specialized for logistics tasks, loads gift boxes onto a sleigh pulled by Spot robot dogs wearing antlers on their heads. The whole thing feels more like a warehouse process optimization demo with holiday decorations than a breathtaking technological demonstration.
This pragmatic approach stands in sharp contrast to previous years. Who doesn’t remember the Atlas robot’s backflip that redefined our conception of humanoid movement? Or the video from three years ago where a team of Spots precisely decorated a Christmas tree, placing even the tree topper perfectly? It seems that under Hyundai’s ownership, Boston Dynamics has pivoted toward practicality, focusing on real industrial applications – like improving efficiency at Gap warehouses – rather than the “wow factor.”
Final Note: A Song from the Machine
Finally, to complete the holiday confusion, here’s an AI-generated Christmas song, “Robot Santa’s Midnight Groove”. The track exudes a retro sci-fi vibe, blending soft lounge swing with futuristic soul elements. While the song doesn’t come from a real performer, it’s surprisingly pleasant listening and perfectly fits the slightly weird, technology-infused Christmas mood.
Based on this year’s lineup, it’s clear that the world of robotics is simultaneously heading in astonishingly human and infinitely practical directions. Next year’s Christmas will probably bring even more automated helpers and AI-composed melodies, and we’ll be here to comment on it all with a pinch of sarcasm. Happy holidays!
