A Journey of Giving

While most neopets find themselves quite content consuming the candies and receiving the gifts they’ve been given, they are quite often missing the most essential aspect of the season. These neopets, while certainly brimming with gratitude to their masters, have not tasted the joy of giving themselves.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you send your neopets out to the Faerieland Employment Agency to earn the neopoints to purchase gifts. Even pampered neopets can’t be expected to work too hard around the holidays, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do anything for others. In fact, your neopet can do more than just brighten the life of another neopet; they can also revive the spirits of forgotten and broken toys.

If your neopet can bring himself to give up one of his old, beloved toys amidst this time of receiving, then by all means encourage the action. Dropping one of the almost-forgotten toys into the paws of a brand new owner will not only bring the toy into the light again, but brighten the face of a potential friend. After all, once your neopet has given someone one of his old toys, he will not only have the shared joy of the gifting experience, but the happiness they both found while playing with the same toy. Your neopet can observe as another soul discovers all of the methods of entertainment he himself experienced in former days. Yes, the neopets involved will certainly have much to speak of after this act of kindness!

But if your neopet still finds himself in love with all of his toys, all is not lost. After all, there is certainly something in his closet that is broken (if not, broken toys can be found fairly cheaply), and even those toys are not beyond redemption. A ball that deflated, a yoyo dropped and shattered long ago, even click klacks that have seen better days will serve the purpose. Of course, you can’t just give a broken toy. Before you march out on your quest of giving, I encourage you and your neopet to take a trip to Terror Mountain.

In all likelihood you have already visited the northern reaches of Neopia, but a fair number of you have probably refrained from visiting the top of the mountain. After all, why climb to an icy mountaintop when the Advent Calendar is located in the cheerful and welcoming Happy Valley? At first glance, it is much more sensible to take the treats on offer and head home, but I encourage perseverance. You see, there is a secret at the top of Terror Mountain. His name is Donny.

Donny is a red Bori who lives on top of the mountain, and runs an all-hour Toy Repair Shop. If you bring him, for instance, a Broken Fake Uni Horn, he’ll repair it in a jiffy. Now, Donny seems to have trouble with a few toys. Thus far he seems to have true problems conceiving of how one might repair a Broken Fishing Pole or Toy Sailboat, for instance, but he’s quite competent in many other areas. If you bring him anything from a Broken Toy Whistle to a Bag of Broken Neopoints, he can get them in peak condition in no time at all. And I encourage you to do just that.

After all, Donny is waiting for you. He sits on top of the cold mountain in a blue-striped hat and a rather fashionable-looking potato sack with his hammer at the ready. Though his greeting may be gruff, and his words may be few, it’s readily apparent that his stern exterior hides a center sweeter than a Mallow Grundo. Secretly, Donny is a slice of hometown friendliness just waiting at the top of the mountain.

Just watching him repair the old toys with a clever gleam in his eyes is a joy that will make your neopet feel quite spoiled in itself. Then, once he hands you your good-as-new-toy... well, you’ll certainly feel like you’ve done the right thing. Not only have you given company to a lonely old Bori, but you’ve also let him engage in one of his favorite activities: repairing toys. The fact that you receive a toy that looks brand new at the end of the journey is simply a bonus, an almost unexpected treat. And because the experience of repairing toys with Donny is so very gratifying, surely your neopet won’t be too entranced with the mended toy to give it away. In any case, this visit to Terror Mountain is only the beginning of your Giving Day journey.

Next, you must return to Neopia Central, and take a look at the Money Tree. Do you see all of those poor, sad neopets who just can’t make it up to Terror Mountain? Why don’t you go ahead and brighten one of their days by giving them the toy that has engaged in such a long, laborious journey? Perhaps you can even tell them the tale of the toy’s redemption, and share the toils of climbing Terror Mountain, meeting an old Bori, and taking the toy right back down to their very paws.

If you bring your pets to Terror Mountain, if you let them repair one of their old, broken toys, if you then take that toy back down to Neopia Central and have them place it at the Money Tree, or hand it to a random, forlorn-looking stranger... Why, your neopet will thank you for it. Not only will your neopet have all the joys that a neopet who gifted from their own collection would experience (after all, your neopet played with its toy before it broke, didn’t he?), but he will also have the joy of experiencing a small adventure for the sake of a stranger’s happiness. In this season of giving, nothing is more fitting than having your neopet not only revive a damaged toy, but bring even more joy to the world by granting that toy to someone who can truly appreciate all the greatness that toy could ever possess. Go ahead, dig through those closets and safety deposit boxes. Let your neopet enjoy a Giving Day adventure.