A Neopian Christmas

December 1: Make a countdown today on your User Lookup for Christmas. If you’re feeling really festive, you could even decorate your Lookup with a Christmas theme to it. I like to jazz it up a bit around Christmas with some nice images and a background.

You should also start brainstorming some gift ideas. What I like to do is set aside the amount of Neopoints I’m going to spend on each Pet and Neofriend and then think of their likes and dislikes for a while and come up with some neat gifts they would enjoy. Keep in mind, your pets and friends understand if you can’t go out and spend hundreds of thousands of points on them. But it’s nice to try and get something they’ll enjoy, not something they’ll immediately throw in their shop for a bit of cash. (Unless you tell them that it’s something you want them to sell so they can reach a NP goal or something.)

December 2: Now that you know what you’re getting for everyone, add up how much it will all cost and if you don’t have that amount or think you’ll spend the gift money, now is the time to start saving. Make a plan of how much you need to earn each day to afford the presents and stick to it!

December 3: Now is a great time to decorate your Neohome. There are some wonderful things out there for gardens and you can plop a nice bushy tree and brick fireplace in your Living Room.

Try throwing some décor in your Shop. Remember though, not everyone has a fast computer or likes to scroll down half the page to get an item. More than likely, unless it’s an extremely cheap price, people will find another shop to buy from if yours takes forever to load. A cheerful background, a Christmas-themed blog, and an image or two is plenty.

December 6: A great way to show your pet’s festivity (makes a great gift too), is too paint him or her Christmas! Your pet will love its new look and can strut around Neopia every month showing that they’re all ready for December. Can’t afford that? You can always buy the cheaper Petpet version of this awesome Paint Brush for your Kougra’s loving little Petpet. And if your wallet is still feeling a little light, you can at least get a free background and welcome sign by using a search engine.

December 10: There are tons of pets thrown in the Pound around Christmas, all looking for someone to love just in time for the Holidays. So this month, instead of creating that perfect little Kacheek you’ve had your heart set on, consider going to the Pound and adopting that poor Uni or teary eyed Scorchio. You’ll feel a lot better that you helped a pet in need and you can give yourself a pat on the back.

December 12: Now that you have that adorable Ixi cuddled up on your lap, if you still have plenty of Neopoints to spare, try adopting a Newbie. In case you’ve never heard of the concept, it’s when you make friends with someone who’s new to Neopets and show them the ropes of the game. You can also send them a nice care package with a few items for their pets. It’s a great way to improve the quality of Neopets and will make you feel great!

December 15: Usually right around now, Neopians everywhere are rushing into shops to get that special toy their pets have had their eye on or that new Paint Brush for a stylish holiday. Unfortunately, not everyone has the Neopoints for that little Ona their Ruki has been hinting at, so millions of people flock to the Money Tree for that special gift. Try donating some items to the Money Tree or making a free lot at the Trading Post. It will be greatly appreciated by the recipient.

December 17: Now that the holiday rush has cleared up a bit, go out and get those special gifts your pets and friends have been drooling over if you haven’t already. But remember, stick to your Shopping List and spending limit!

December 20: Now it’s time to prepare your gifts! Make sure all of them are in your SDB, and make sure you have everything on your Shopping List. If you have extra Neopoints lying around, you might even want to go out and buy an extra little surprise, such as cake or a few Christmas-y toys.

December 23: After spending all those points to get the most fabulous gifts, if you’re still in the generous mode, go out and buy as many neat toys, food, books, etc. as you want, and be a Secret Santa. All you have to do is go to the Message Boards (if you’re not old enough, just use random usernames) and give away one or more of the items you bought to someone you think needs help. Like a struggling Newbie for example. But remember to stick to the rules and not ask for anything in return or hold contests!

December 24: After checking with the owner of your guild, a really fun thing to do would be to throw a Guild Party! You can jazz up the home page a bit and change your font color to green or red and, viola! You have your decorations! You can chat with other members and maybe throw in a gift or two, but once again, make sure you stick to the rules!

Today’s the day you’ve been waiting for! Go give out those presents! Write your Neofriends a nice message followed by whatever goodies you’ve managed to get for them to enjoy!

Note: Both of these events are good to do on Christmas Eve and not Christmas Day, considering not very many people play Neopets on Christmas, since they’re celebrating with family. So unless your friends celebrate a different holiday or you know they’ll be on, I recommend giving gifts and such on Christmas Eve.

December 25: What are you doing on Neopets?! Get off and go celebrate! Okay, I guess a quick visit with your pets couldn’t hurt.

December 31: A really good thing to do today is to go to the Shop Wizard and buy multiple Advent Calendar items. As time goes buy the prices will skyrocket and you’ll wish you would have bought more. Books and Petpets usually end up making you the most.

I hope my guide has let you have a fun Neopian Christmas and let you enjoy the Holidays!