I completely agree with your philosophy on the passion of a company coming through with everything they do. I don’t think the newsletter is as big a fail as you suggest. At this time of year people always seem to be rushed for gifts and making the call to action big and bold, reminding them of looming deadlines, could be helpful for those in a rush. The use of the image just below that exemplifies what it’s all about, ie. not buying gear for the sake of looking the part, but buying the gear to enhance/extend the enjoyment of hitting that powder.

I think if the newsletter was from Walmart or Sears the image would have been of a model in a studio wearing the gear, not using the gear. As a point of differentiation, REI.com and LLBean.com both have images of kids/families on toboggans. This is a pretty clear point of difference from MEC, although that might be a seasonal choice which would change in the new year.

Looking forward to snowshoeing up north on all of that awesome snow in Muskoka,

Dan