A Guide to Holiday Shopping

What’s hot?

To start off the list I decided to put the newest craze sweeping Neopia. Ever since earlier this year wearable items and backgrounds have been all the rage. This would be the perfect gift. Usually if you are looking around the trading post you start to get nervous because of some of the outrageous prices (they’re clothes, not gold, right?) Well, there are actually stylish articles of clothing under the 100k mark. Mostly these things go down in price as time goes on, though. There are some pretty inexpensive things like ultra-fashionable potato sacks and blechy hats that seem to be quite popular. But if you want to really impress your friends, I suggest purchasing the more expensive items. If you want to see a guide of all of the wearable items I’m sure you can find some scattered across the site. But if this is still not in your price range? Keep reading.

Another thing that has been popular although not new, paint brushes. As the holiday season quickly approaches, Christmas Paint Brushes are sure to inflate in price. If that’s what you want, you should consider buying them now. If you have been saving your Neopoints all year for this occasion Faerie Paint Brushes and Darigan Paint Brushes are always a good idea. The new Zombie Paint Brush is also very cool if you happen to have 10 million Neopoints in your hand. Still a no? More ideas below.

Petpets always make great gifts. They are cute (some anyways), cuddly, and don’t really take a chunk out of your bank account. If you want a cute petpet, buy a Noil, Babaa, Angelpuss, or a Warf. These are all at least under the 100k mark. If you want the petpet to look seasonal, add a Christmas petpet paint brush with it. There are only a select few petpets that are extremely expensive. If you are willing to spend that much Weewoos and the new petpet the Darblat are very great choices. Petpets could not only be for neofriends; you also have your own pets to think about. Petpets can be your pet’s best new friend.

If you have a friend who collects a certain thing, give them that. People collect anything from Battledome equipment to snowballs and stamps. Depending on what they like, that is what you should give them. Ask them about what they already have without sounding too obvious. When the time comes to send them the item, if you could see their face, I bet they would be smiling.

A lot of people have recently told me that they like plushies. So if you’ve got a friend who likes plushies, get them that. Plushies come in many different shapes and prices, though. While regular-colored plushies are usually generally cheaper, there are many other plushies that exceed one-million neopoints. Plushies could go in the paragraph before this, but so many users like them that they deserve their own spot.

If you don’t have any neopoints whatsoever, you don’t have to give any material things. Spread happiness throughout Neopets. Send your friends a greeting and be especially nice to everyone. Donate lots of items to the Money Tree and help out the less-fortunate Neopians out there. Let’s not forget what this time of the year is actually about.

So by this point you must have an idea about what to get your neofriends. What about your pets? You can’t forget about your most loyal friends. And you know what I found that they like the most? Food. Buy your pets some food and some cool toys and they’ll be happy. Not just any toy or just any cheap omelette. Buy them some gourmet food just for the occasion. And toys will always make them giddy with joy. You’ve definitely got to show them you care.

What’s not hot?

There are way too many things that are not “hot” so to sum them all up, people don’t generally like inexpensive items. Buying items that don’t cost very much won’t impress anybody. If you’ve got the money, spend it. This only happens once a year. If cheap items are what your friend likes, so be it. But just remember, more money = better quality and a better holiday. So what do I mean cheap items? Well, think about it; who wants a pile of dung or a boot in their stocking? Not me. I would choose from the list above.

I hoped this helped out a great deal. As soon as you read this, go out and buy what you want. It’s true, prices skyrocket when there is a greater demand. Beat the crowd, shop early. Then later as the holidays approach, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. If you don’t have many neopoints, now would be the time to start playing games and stocking your shop. Also, don’t be fooled by scams. Not everyone is a good-hearted person. Some people can take advantage of you by charging you outrageous prices for something that is worth a lot less. Remember these three things and you will have a great holiday season. Be smart when shopping, do your research, and find out what your friend (or pet) likes. Good luck and happy holidays.