Preparing For The Holiday Season

     It all kicked off a couple weeks back with Halloween, and now the holiday season is tumbling in like a snowball rolling down Terror Mountain. It seems like almost every day is a giant spectacular holiday celebrated all around Neopia, and I'm here to help you get in the know!

     The next two months will be full of gift giving, celebratory feasts, birthday caps, and so much more. As the weather turns colder in half of Neopia, and hotter in places like Tyrannia, Neopians everywhere will be filled with glee and smiling from ear to ear.

     For the sake of ease, we're going to skip over the pet-specific days in this guide, but if you need a quick reminder on what will be coming in the next month and a half: Vandagyre Day, Usul Skiing Season begins (Usul Day), Xweetok Day, Bruce Day, Wocky Day, and Ogrin Day. Phew, that is a mouthful. Those days all deserve special recognition on their own, and they will get it, but they don't have as universal of an appeal as the other important holidays coming up.

     Neopets 18th Birthday Celebration

     On the 15th Day of Storing (November 15th), Neopia will turn 18 years old. Woah, that is pretty crazy when you think about it. The changes and progress this place has seen over all these years is insane, and while it retains all the elements we fell in love with back then, so many more things have been introduced that keep us coming back every day. Remember when we weren't able to dress up our pets in cool clothes? When you could only have four pets? When there were only a few HTML based games giving out 30 NP as the jackpot? Now we have more than we could have ever dreamed of back then!

     So how can you celebrate this special day? First, swap out your avatar for the amazing birthday avatar and celebrate on the Neoboards! Go discuss your favorite memories of all your time in this wonderful place, share tales of your first pets and first victories, and recount the anger you felt the first time the Pant Devil stole an expensive item out of your inventory. We've all spent countless hours in this wonderful world, and this is a great day to pay homage to that.

     Hit up some user shops and bakeries and buy some celebratory cakes and cupcakes to feed your pets, and grab some things from the Gift Shops to send to your best Neofriends as a way to thank them for going through this experience with you. Here's to another year of amazing games, new trophies, avatars, and fun times!

     Borovan Day

     About a month after the birthday celebrations die down, on December 20th, we have this minor but important holiday that will get us through the start of the coldest time of the year: Borovan Day! So what exactly is Borovan you may ask...well, it isn't for those with weak stomachs, that is for sure. It is made by combining Hot Chocolate with Asparagus to create an..interesting..drink that is enjoyed by many in Neopia when the weather turns to winter. There are dozens of varieties and Borovan-flavored treats, like Apple Flavoured Borovan or Asparagus Borovan Lasagna. Some are even known to enjoy Borovan Chicken...though I've never had a taste of it myself.

     On this day you should sport your Borovan Day T-Shirt and send off a Borovan Day Gift Basket to all your friends, or even strangers on the Neoboards! Break out your Borovan Press and start making cup after cup, it'll warm your bones and get you prepared for the long winter ahead. And if you really don't have the stomach for this vegetable and chocolate drink, I will keep your secret if you leave the asparagus out and just enjoy some regular ol' hot chocolate.

     Day Of Giving

     The culmination of the month of Celebrating is the Day Of Giving. This is what the yearly advent calendar leads up to every year!! On December 25th, Neopians everywhere exchange gifts like no other day. Usuki dolls, wearables, toys, and so much more is sent buzzing over Neopia to the farthest reaches of society. Snowball fights are everywhere, feasts are had, and friends and family join together in joy. It really is one of the most festive days of the year.

     Many pets will break out a Christmas Paint Brush to get deep into the spirit, and others will wear their best Baby Christmas Dress or snuggle up with their Count Von Roo Christmas Plushie while they hang out with all of those close to them. Make sure to get your wishlist together and check out other peoples' wishlists, giving gifts can be just as fun as receiving them!

     And if you are stuck on what to give, try a Gingerbread Seasons Greetings Card or a Gingerbread Usuki Playhouse! Everyone loves gingerbread, or building a nice gingerbread house, so you can't really go wrong with these gifts.

     Neopian New Year

     And finally, December wraps up by entering us into a brand new year! Grab your confetti crackers and let's celebrate a brand new year with brand new hopes and dreams. Pick a good new years' resolution, will you promise to finally get that Sakhmet Solitaire trophy? Or perhaps to finally complete a page in your stamp album? No matter what your resolution is, you have a full year to stick to it and achieve your dream!!

          There is a lot of celebration to come in these next couple months, so make sure to prepare yourself well! Make sure you are doing your dailies every day, and playing lots of flash games, so you have the spare Neopoints for all the gift giving and cake you'll be eating. And don't be afraid to be generous, dropping some codestones off at the Money Tree or gifting some NC Mall items to those less fortunate. A little kindness goes a long way, especially at this time of year, and make sure you take the time to enjoy yourself.

     Let me be the first to say: Happy holidays to you and yours, it's going to be a great season this year and I'm so excited for Neopia to erupt in smiles and cheers!