Top 15 Advent Calendar Prizes of the Decade!

     All over Neopia, people are beginning to decorate, singing a new tune, suddenly acting friendlier or more generously… There is no denying the magic of the holiday season, it brings out something different in everyone. People come together to celebrate life, with all its ups and downs, and give back to one another just out of kindness and love. Although we may not always understand what makes these cheery times so exciting, we do know that there is one thing that brings many Neopians together every year, without fail. That would be the Advent Calendar. Over the years, Neopians will spend all year getting excited, or maybe find themselves coming back every December just for the Advent Calendar. It is the one time of the year where everyone, young and old, can collect their gifts from the TNT staff as a big “Thank You!”, and get their own little slice of holiday cheer. For some people, this is a tradition that has lasted half their lives. For others, it is a recent discovery that is helping them fall in love with the world of Neopets. Wherever you are on the spectrum, you may find yourself wondering: “what are all of the different prizes have been given out over the years?” While this is a big question to tackle, and would take up plenty more than just one article, I decided to take the liberty of collecting what I believe to be the top 15 Advent Calendar prizes of the DECADE. As a disclaimer, this is all the writer’s own opinion, and there are plenty of beautiful and wonderful prizes that have been given out, so don’t be afraid to do your own research! You may just find something you’ve been looking for…

      #15: Cup of Ghostly Borovan: This may seem like an odd item to pick, but let me explain! To some Neopians, including myself, borovan is a quaint reminder of the Ghost of Neo’s Past, a time when it was “borovan this” or “asparagus that”… and while some of these old Neopets easter eggs have been phased out, this cute item is a wonderful reminder that things haven’t changed as much as we may think sometimes. Go ahead, take a sip, and let the warm borovan soothe your soul…

      #14: Decorated Negg: Another small reminder of some of Neopets traditions… Neggs have been a part of Neopets’ cuisine for as long as I can remember! But it was not until Y12 that TNT gave us this beautiful Decorated Negg to commemorate all the good times spent feeding and taking care our pets. When looking at this Negg, it is hard not to be cheery!

      #13: Casual Class Warfare: This one is more of a personal preference. I think this is one of the funniest items TNT has released. In times like these, we may notice disparity in the Neopets community, but we must not let it get us down! Keep working hard and looking after each other!

      #12: Extreme Holiday Potato: Simply put, I am choosing this item for aesthetic reasons. For those of us who have spent hours counting potatoes flying past us at an alarming rate, I think this item serves as a reminder of why we do it. Because it is extreme, and that makes us cool.

      #11: Foggy Window Foreground: When Neopets introduced wearables, we could have never guessed how far it would go. I think I speak for many when I say I am very impressed by the diversity in wearables we have been given. Personally, I love this foreground because I think it is a great way to dress your pet up festively with a tinge of the nostalgia. There is something just so warming about this item, that makes it feel so familiar to me.

      #10: Get Well Soon Faerieland Balloon: I am including this item because I think it is a wonderful way to pay tribute to one of the best plots that Neopets has seen, in my opinion, and one of the more major site events in the past decade. The Faerie’s Ruin plot was an exciting and eventful twist of events, and I think many Neopians enjoyed it thoroughly! This item is a great reminder of all that we went through to help keep Faerieland safe.

      #9: Baby Holiday Scarf: Another in the vein of Wearables, this holiday scarf is one of the cutest things I have ever seen. The fact it is meant to keep your Baby neopets warm? Absolutely adorable. I could scream. I mean, how cute is that? Well done, TNT.

      #8: Christmas Frowny: As you may know, every item that is given out by the Advent Calendar is exclusive. It is given out once, and never again! That being said, this Christmas Frowny has to be one of the cutest petpets we have been given by TNT. So cute in fact, that that frown HAS been turned upside down. Give this to your Grey pet to give them a little cheer this holiday season.

      #7: MSPP Army Foreground: I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can say that MSPP have creeped me out for over a decade. Their eyes are just… absolutely haunting. This item is scary and not cheerful at all, which makes it all the more intriguing and unique!

      #6: Petpetpet Stocking: Now, we’ve already seen a lot of cute items… and I know I am not the only one who associates “small” with “cute” sometimes… and this just takes the cake for being both small AND cute. Keep your little critters warm inside this perfectly sized stocking. They really did think of everything…

      #5: Plumpy: This lovely little guy is unique to the Advent Calendar, meaning there is not any variations of the Plumpy found anywhere else on the site! This makes our dear Plumpy all the more loveable. Although, I think he has heating me out of all my bacon… and just keeps demanding more… PLEASE, someone… I need bacon… he cannot be satisfied…

      #4: Terror Mountain Blizzard Background: Personally, I love backgrounds. I think that TNT can showcase some of their strongest artistic skills in backgrounds, and then we get to change the scenery for our pets! In this change of scenery, your pet could be visiting Terror Mountain for the holidays, or stuck in an ominous storm with no clear hope in sight. Isn’t that just dandy?

      #3: Ugly Christmas Sweater: I know there are plenty of Neopians who have been dreaming of putting their pets into ugly sweaters for years. Finally, TNT made that dream come true for us. I might just have to get one for each one of my pets! Wouldn’t want the others to get jealous…

      #2: Christmas Fir: This may seem like a redundant petpet, but I assure you, it is entirely necessary. The Fir is a cute homage to Christmas trees, but can be painted different colors. This special Fir is all decked out for Christmas, and is an exclusive prize from the Advent Calendar. I mean, just look at how happy this Fir is! It’s glowing! Just absolutely precious.

      #1: Rod of Supernova: … but wait, the Pant Devil stole it! I am including this item because I think it is an important part of the Advent Calendar tradition. This teaser has been around for more than a decade, and is a great laugh for many of us veteran players. I think I speak for many when I say that little reminders like this are what help keep me around. I remember being younger and being so excited about this prize, until I read the fine print… this joke has been carried on for years and is now a source of comfort to me, personally. This year I saw many new players go through those same emotions, and am happy to be able to share this little piece of Neopian tradition with them. This is what it is all about.

     Thank you, TNT, for all that you’ve done for us over the years, and the many surprises you have treated us to. Thank you for 20 great years. Cheers, and happy holidays.