Your Friendly Gift Giving Guide

The main thing for you to remember is this simple fact: it isn’t about the cost of the gift, but the effort you put into it. No one is expecting a Bony Grarrl Club for Christmas; so if you can’t afford one, don’t fret. While it is true that some gifts may cost you a bountiful bag of neopoints, it isn’t totally necessary to spend your pets’ Neoschool fund to cover them. Remember to set your limits and keep them in mind when going to select your friends’ gifts. Also, keep in mind the number of gifts you have to buy. It is crucial to remember all of your friends; otherwise, they may feel that you don’t wish to be their friend at all. Everyone doesn’t have to get a big gift, but get everyone something.

Now that we have covered that the thought is what counts, let’s go over how to choose a gift. Don’t just go out and buy everyone plushies, unless that is what all of your friends love of course. You should know what your friends’ favorite parts of Neopets are, but in case you don’t, let’s figure out now. Go to their user lookups. A few common interests are avatars and painted pets. Look at the number of avatars your friend has; if it seems that they collect avatars, there is a good lead as to what to buy your pal. If not, check their pets’ pages. Many Neopians put wish lists up for just this sort of occasion. If this is the case, find a gift on that list inside of your price range. In the event that you want to be an over achiever, go and check out their gallery. Some Neopians have extensive collections of their favorite items. If you could find something that would fit into their gallery that they have yet to acquire, the gift is sure to be an extremely good one. If your friends’ interests are still unknown to you, just think of something that they seem to talk about a lot, maybe a petpet or some codestones. You can’t really go wrong if you have already put this much thought into it.

With a gift in mind, it’s now time to go and buy it. If you need to save up a little, take your time. As long as you have the gift by Christmas, you will be fine. This part can be crucial to your gift giving experience. Don’t be sucked into the people trying to inflate popular gifts and take advantage of kind Neopians' hospitality. You have a lot of gifts to buy, and there is no need to waste neopoints anywhere that you don’t have to. Use the shop wizard if the gift is inexpensive enough, but otherwise, don’t be afraid to check the auctions. They are a good way to help you out, as sometimes you can get good deals that way. It is not a bad thing to look for a bargain, which is sometimes believed. Unless you're extremely rich, it will make a huge difference in the way in which your gift buying turns out.

Now that you have your gifts, the fun part begins. It can be fun to leave clues with your friends in neomails hinting to what the gift is. That way, the anticipation will be built and the gift giving experience will be that much more exciting. Be sure not to give too many clues, as you wouldn’t want your friend to figure out what it is, of course. Leave just enough to make them think about it and get excited. It can also be fun to get a bunch of little gifts to send once a day. These can be extremely cheap, but can increase the holiday fun greatly.

For those of you still stumped as to a gift, I am going to list a few ideas for you. In my experience, these gifts are usually acceptable. You can call them General Gifts if you wish; I’m not sure why you would, but nonetheless you can.

5) Codestones- everyone loves codestones. They are a great gift, especially if your friend trains their pets. Even if they don’t, however, you may spark an interest in this very thing.

4) Dubloons- a slightly cheaper alternative for the codestone. Also great for pet trainers, or anyone else who loves shiny metal coins.

3) Books- these are great for most anyone. Everyone loves to see their pets happy, and nothing makes a pet happy quite like books. Books are also great because there are so many choices in Neopia.

2) Paint Brushes- paint brushes are a wonderful gift for just about anyone. The downside to paintbrushes, however, is the high cost. If a paint brush is a little too expensive, perhaps you should consider a petpet paint brush. They are much cheaper and still a great gift for both your friends and their pets.

1) Petpets- petpets are great because there are just so many. It would be a nice touch to buy one that matches with your friends’ pets, but any petpet should be appreciated. Another great thing about petpets is that there is one for every price range. Need a more specific idea? Get them an Uggazew. Who wouldn’t love that?

Hopefully you have a better idea about what to get your friends for Christmas now. One last tip from your friend Uggazew, remember it is better to give than to receive. Don’t simply get a gift in order to receive one. Just be happy to make your friend happy. That is what this time of year is really about.