How To Decorate Your Island Neohome For the Holidays by _requiems_ |  |
MYSTERY ISLAND - Well, what are you doing, sitting there!? Giving's right around
the bend, and your Bamboo hut is still without a single ornament! WHAT?!
What do you mean you live on Mystery Island so it doesn't matter? Of course it
matters! It's Giving! Now get off your sorry read-end and let's get to work; yessiree
Bob (even if your name's not Bob), I'm here to tell you all about decking your
beachside home with holiday cheer, and make you realize that no, you don't need
to live anywhere near Terror Mountain to have a festive dwelling!
Lighting your tree!
You'll need:
-palm trees (if you don't have these, this isn't the article for you)
-lights
No, we don't have pines on our island; we have coconut trees, which can be
quite useful -- but more on that later. Yes, I know, palm trees aren't made
like pines. That much is obvious; you just can't put up your lights on those
leaves, so don't even try. But wait -- haven't you heard of lanterns? You know,
they string 'em up during Gadgadsbogen; yup, those. Well, we're going to use
that concept.
It's quite easy: pluck the coconuts from the trees you want to light (store
them in a safe place for later), and climb. You can have your pets do this,
especially if they can fly. This will make them feel appreciated, which is a
good feeling to have at any time, especially during the holidays.
Just wrap your lights -- not too tightly, or they'll break -- around the tree,
at about three/four feet under the leaves, to be sure they're seen. Once that's
done, repeat the process on each tree, while using the same cord. You might
need two or more rolls of lights. Be careful not to make the cord between the
trees too taut; keep it nice and slack enough to droop a little, in order to
prevent damage. And voilà, in a few hours or so you should have a beautiful,
festive, multicolored garland around your house to brag to your neighbors about!
You can do the same thing with regular rope outside, and tie in some hollowed
fruits (Twirly Fruit, Ellecha, Taokicarrots and Lemwart are good). Put candles
into those hollows and watch the spectacular result -- just remember to be careful
not to get burnt, get small candles so as not to char the fruits (go see Jhuidah,
as she has pretty magical ones that work like a charm for a low price), and
get very solid rope! Fishing cord works best for this, and you can buy some
at the harbour from any native; but don't be a tourist! Anything over a hundred
Neopoints is theft!
Coconut floral arrangements!
You'll need:
-coconuts
-glue
-glitter (in any color you like; gold, silver, green and red are recommended)
-sand (doesn't need to be colored, but it's always a plus)
-flowers
-fruits (Kraku berries, Taokicarrots and Twirly Fruit work best)
-Maraquan lettuce
-small tea candles (Jhuidah sells these for a small price)
Yup, those coconuts we have in abundance can be pretty useful. If you've got
a taste for coconut milk, enjoy yourself. If not, hollow them out some other
way. I recommend keeping the stuff aside and checking out the recipes section
below.
Grab your hollowed coconut and split it in two equal halves, if that hasn't
been done already. Shave the bottom of each half until it doesn't tip over anymore;
this is essential, so don't forget it. Now, cover the shells with glue, and
sprinkle generously with glitter. This is easier if you can shave the fibers
off the shell -- I'm lucky, I have a Shoyru and a Krawk at my disposition to
do this for me. Thanks, Claw and Kala! You can even make patterns with your
glitter; just apply the glue wherever you need it. I find that just putting
some around the rim looks lovely, or making a several concentric circles, like
a target.
Take your sand and fill both halves, then press your fruits into it so they
stand; mix and match all you like, put flowers, rocks, anything you can think
of is fine! A few leaves of Maraquan lettuce is great and colourful, and they
have industrial quantities of oyster salad at the Fruit shop.
Now, leave a nice small spot in the middle of your arrangement and stick a
candle in. Light it -- again, be sure not to burn yourself, or the fruits' leaves
while doing so (Jhuidah candles are again recommended). Now all you have to
do is set your creative new flower pot outside, and let your neighbors admire!
If you don't like coconuts, or find shaving the fibers too much of a hassle,
oysters (from those handy-dandy salads) and seashells can also be used; and
if you like variety, why not all three? Another spin-off of this is to have
one or two branches of Kraku Berry bush in a single glass pot of red or green
sand -- this looks extremely stylish and festive. Have fun!
Recipes!
Sweet & Sour Fruit Slushie
[serves 3]
Slushies, those infamous Terror Mountain treats, can now be served in your
own tropical Neohome, using fruits you can find just about anywhere on the island!
For ice, I'm afraid you'll have to take the trip down to either Neopia Central,
Meridell, or Terror Mountain. That is, unless Jhuidah likes you. Hehehe...
You'll need:
-9 Vinberries
-6 Taokicarrots
-6 Twirly Fruits
-3 Nurako
-Crushed Ice
-3 Lemwart slices
-1 Blender
Extract the juice from the Vinberries, Taokicarrots, Twirly Fruits and Nurako;
you can also add in Lemwart juice to even out the flavor, but I prefer mine
more sweet than sour. Vary on the quantities of each you want in it to fit your
preferences, even put in some Ellecha juice if you're daring.
Take the ice and the juice, shove 'em in the blender and have fun, or blend
until you can't feel your button-pressing finger anymore. You can add milk for
a creamier taste. The Lemwart slice, if not completely extracted of it's juice,
can be slid onto the rim of your glass for decoration. You can even put one
of those cool paper umbrellas that just scream class, if you can smuggle some
out of the golden Dubloon. Serve these to your neighbors, and watch those jaws
drop!
Fruity Neggnogg
[serves 5]
What Giving time is complete without a hearty mug of neggnog? If you can't beg
some off Jhuidah (she loves that stuff, so don't bust anything trying), make
some yourself.
You'll need:
-1 L cream
-2 L milk (can be replaced with coconut milk)
-3 lbs sugar (or less, if you don't like it as sweet as I do)
-4 or 5 neggs
-1 L grog (optional; for the more mature, responsible Neopian)
(this is if you don't have Neggnog. If you do, you don't need the above ingredients)
-any assortment of fruit you like
Extract the juice from the fruits. Mix and blend freely with your Neggnog
(or 'nog ingredients) in a bowl; what you end up with should be creamy and taste
faintly of the fruit you chose, while keeping it's sweet Neggnoggy goodness.
If it isn't, you have a problem. If you succeed -- your neighbors will be begging
for the recipe.
That's It, Folks!
Well, you've reached the end of this article. I hope you enjoyed it! I'd like
to thank Clawberry and Kaladrionissa, my Shoyru and Krawk, for being so helpful
with the coconuts and putting up the lights, Leuka the Peophin for coming up
with the Neggnog recipe, and Foudroyant, my Lenny, for being so good at haggling
and saving my wallet from starvation. I'd also like to thank Jhuidah the Island
Faerie for her help in providing those nifty candles, and other useful things.
Remember, she's there to help you, and she does NOT bite. Unless you're carrying
Neggnog, but that's a whole other story. Heh.
Now go out, have fun, and happy holidays in your festive, decked-out beachside
home! Just remember to close your shutters and lock your door to avoid the angry
mob of envious neighbors you've been bragging to all week. *ducks to avoid a
rotten Corn Ball flying towards her head* Erm, yes, 'till next time!
Author's note: All of this is off the top of my head; I live far away from
even the shadow of a palm tree, so I wouldn't know. The recipes are tentative
as well. If you happen to actually try them with real fruit, I would love to
know the result!
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