The Charitable Month

Good evening, readers, and Happy Holidays! Do you feel the charitable love and giving in the air? Most people can around this time of year. Presents and words of joy and bliss are being sent every which way to friends, family, and strangers. Most everyone is thrilled about the upcoming celebrations and show their delight by giving, which is just as good as receiving!

However, not everyone enjoys this annual season of giving. Jhudora and the Dark Faerie Sisters come to mind immediately. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, not every villain despises Christmas time. The Tax Beast certainly enjoys it, for he can tax Neopians to death on their presents (with postage and packaging, too!). The Pant Devil loves it because it’s a chance for him to swipe Christmas cakes and Christmas puddings. Not to mention expensive gifts and holiday decorations, too! The wicked Shadow Usul can get enjoyment out of Christmas as well by sneaking around and sniping presents out of homes on Christmas Eve. Imagine the disappointment on young pets’ faces Christmas morning!

But don’t worry! Make sure your doors and windows are barred and keep your wits about you when sending your gifts and you should be just fine!

Carrying on, as you probably guessed already, Christmas is about giving and receiving, but the whole giving part is much more important. There are plenty of things you can do this time of year to give a little back to the Neopian community. So, what can and/or should you do and give this year? That’s what I shall tell you! Let’s get started!

First off, the simplest way to give a little is by volunteering. And where is a great place to do something like that? The Soup Kitchen, of course! The Soup Faerie is a very busy lady who needs all the help she can get (especially around Christmas time!). Dishing up soup for all the hungry Neopians isn’t as tedious as it may sound. It can be quite fun! And I hear the Soup Faerie is an excellent conversationalist!

Perhaps helping out at the Soup Kitchen doesn’t exactly appeal to you. Maybe you’d like to lend a hand down at the Neopian Pound this year? The sweet pink Uni could always use a little help caring for the abandoned pets. Since the reopening of the brand new, revamped pound, you can now transfer pets to new accounts, and with that added, the workers at the pound have an extra job tacked on! Helping out by safely transferring lucky pets isn’t always a simple job, mind you... you always have to make sure you have the right address!

Now there are plenty of other ways to give this Christmas. Volunteering doesn’t always suit one’s own fancy, so perhaps donating will. There are tons of places to give your unwanted items to. Or you can even buy brand new items to give.

One place that always welcomes donations any time of the year is the loveable Money Tree! It’s quick and simple to donate some items or you can bestow a small or large amount of Neopoints. You will be thanked and greatly appreciated for your kind contribution to the not so wealthy Neopians!

Now that Neopia has welcomed customization into the works of the Neopian Economy, all the wearable items that you donate will go to the Thrift Shop. This store is relatively new, but already buzzing with offerings and goodwill. And remember, you can always chip in at the Thrift Shop, too!

A lesser known place found in the Meri Acres Farm is the Rubbish Dump. It‘s in a quiet section of Neopia, so if you don‘t like crowds of holiday shoppers, this is certainly the place for you to help out this year (don’t mind the Kacheek who runs the Dump; he can be a little bossy at times)! There may not be as many choices when it comes to the chores, but there’s always sorting and sweeping.

So what else can you do this epoch? Perhaps lurking around the Neoboards will give you the inspiration to take place in your own Random Acts of Kindness!

RAOK is a growing trend. People love to give an item or two to those who help out on the Help Chat, lend an item for free on the Avatar Chat, or those who just aid another Neopian in need. For some it could be considered a hobby. And a very generous and good-natured hobby at that! But don’t forget, if someone bestows a Random Act of Kindness on you, be sure to send them a kind Neomail thanking them for their thoughtfulness. A simple “thank you” goes a long way.

So what items are good to give in a RAOK? There are many items to choose from (the Christmas themed ones are really only appropriate for this time of year), and I’ve compiled a list of the best possible choices (However, if you take a peek at a person’s account, pets, gallery, or Neohome, you may see that they enjoy collecting a certain themed item. Why not take a few more steps in your giving and send them something they will especially cherish!).

Plushies:

• Baby Grarrl Plushie
• Baby Skeith Plushie
• Black Doglefox Plushie
• Christmas Bori Plushie
• Christmas Pirate Krawk Plushie
• Christmas Kookith Plushie
• Christmas Ogrin Plushie
• Christmas Shoyru Plushie
• Christmas Uni Plushie

Toys:

• Green Origami Buzz Toy
• Red Origami Nimmo Toy
• Kacheek Spring Toy
• Kau Springy Toy
• Rainbow Elephante Toy
• Wind Up Green Draik Toy

Food:

• Tigersquash Mince Pie
• Neggy Custard Pie
• Minty Cherry Mince Pie
• Blackberry Pie
• Blunkabean Pie
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Hearty Pie
• Juppie Omelette

Chocolatey Delights:

• Aisha Hot Chocolate
• Chocolate Cherry Moehog
• Chocolate Chia Lolly
• Chocolate Chip Elephante Cookie
• Chocolatey Banana Draik Cake
• Milk Chocolate Cherry Cordials
• Neopia Central Chocolate Milk Glass

There you go, Times readers! A great list of the best (and favorite) Neopian items to give around this marvelous time of year! Show a little holiday cheer around the boards and help out around Neopia. But remember, you don’t need a reason or a season to be kind and generous. Random Acts of Kindness and donations to others are great any time of year. Lending a hand never goes out of style.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Neopians!