Winter Starlight Celebration/Advent Calendar 2024

[Pickles]

It's Advent Calendar time again! This year's Winter Starlight Celebration has officially started!

Visit the Advent Calendar daily to collect prizes, and don't forget to click on Reina (the Christmas Aisha) for a bonus prize.

The Snowager is also hibernating (and might be for the first couple of days in January as well, so don't forget to check back!), so you can get a daily prize from him, as well.

The Stocking Stufftacular will start December 8th, so the first stocking must be hung by the 11:59:59pm on the 7th.

The SAP is back in the prize pool for Reina again this year. The prize pool seems to consist mostly of previous years' advent calendar items.
Yes, there is a premium extra item each day. Considering that they've devalued premium a LOT this last year (giving out Nerkmids & paintbrushes and then other strength boost items seriously devalued the extra battledome challengers...and then putting a Premium Monthly Items capsule in the NCMall more recently that everyone could buy...yeah), this is a welcome addition. They specifically state in the FAQ that there will be no battledome items for Premium members, that it's "extra customisation, plushes, toys, and more!"
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Day 1:
Reina: Darkest Faerie Snowglobe
Snowie: Candy Filled Negg
Neggs that are not neggs/"pick up a negg": 1/1 - off to a great start here...

You find 2254 Neopoints!!!
You also find
Twig
Money Tree Fables

And for today's Premium Perk Prize, you also find
Winter Sunrise Trail Background

New P3!!!!! Wheee!! So cute!

[Siniri]

Snowager: can't remember (did during his usual time)
Reina: Beelzebug

I was a little surprised to see this until I read until the end. That's actually a good marketing tactic. Not going to work on me, but it could on others.

Today's Premium Perk prize is a Winter Sunrise Trail Background


If you would like to subscribe to Premium and collect this prize, you can do so here.

[Blue]

Bonus: Winter Shoyru Plushie ( I think it is, anyway, based on the position in my inventory)
Snowie: Broken Heart Keyring

[Siniri]

Day 2:
Snowager: terror trove scratchcard (a dud)
Reina: Purple Shoyru Cracker (woah, it's worth 90k, and yesterday's is 70k and dropping) -- and there's a pretty high chance of getting items worth even more, so I'm opening it: Grape Gummy Gem (1700 NP), Moon and Stars Paper Crown (60k), and Baby Cybunny Sticker (unbuyable, seeing asks of 2M-4M on the TP, but there are several)

Okay, I'm glad I opened that, even if it's HTS!

Yesterday's comic about the money tree's motives was cute, and today's wallpaper was really cute as well. I suspected the prize would be the image, and it didn't disappoint. Something about the faellie finishing the snow ear really solidified the cuteness.

[Pickles]

There are a lot of people kvetching about the premium "ad". I'm like...they're finally breaking even for the first time in years. Give them a break. They've been transparent about that in the AMA's. If you don't want premium, fine, but if you want the site to continue to run, they do need to make money or their investors will drop them and then that's it.

Day 2:
Reina: Holiday Bell Chocolate Advent Calendar (wohoo! I needed this for gourmet club!)
Snowie: Minty Snowager Pie
Neggs that are not neggs/"pick up a negg": 1/1

You find 897 Neopoints!!!
You also find
Christmas Faellie Cake
Faellie Snowglobe
And for today's Premium Perk Prize, you also find
Faellie Christmas Cookie Decorating Foreground

Allll the Faellies. I can't imagine TNT Fae had anything to do with that....

[Blue]

Day 2 Bonus: Festive Special PJs
Snowie: Faeries Fortune Scratchcard

Is it me, or does the scratchcard look different?

I *would* put them on my pet, but apparently my closet is full. Need to cull my closet. Ironically, I need to do the same in RL, too.

[Siniri]

Yes, they changed the scratchcard picture a few weeks/months ago.

Day 3:
Snowie: Supersize Mega Ultra Plus
Reina: Winter Shoyru Plushie

Has anyone ever actually used any of the coloring pages? Maybe if you actually had kids... I like that they left it to you to design the stamp.

So far none of the premium items have made me want to buy. Just ignore the ad if you don't like it. People like to complain about literally everything. (We were complaining we didn't win some of the most generous prizes from a very generous wheel, even though we all won other generous items, so I'm definitely not immune to this myself.)

Last edited by Siniri on Tue Dec 03, 2024 4:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Pickles]

Day 3
Reina: Faerie lights Lupe Plushie
Snowie: Cloud Jetsam Keyring

Neggs that are not neggs/"pick up a negg": 1/1

You find 902 Neopoints!!!
You also find
Handmade Holiday Card
Evergreen Card Garland Foreground
And for today's Premium Perk Prize, you also find
Holidays at the Neopian Post Office Background

Okay, was definitely expecting a stamp, but I guess not. The garland is really nice! I might actually use it for someone. <shoves it in the closet to try on while I'm working on customizing pets for Christmas>

They have updated the Faeries Fortune scratchcard but not the others when they changed the item pools. I dislike the new look. But...however many years on the site since they first came out and them looking the same...yeah, don't like the change. I will adapt, though.

If your closet is full, you probably have the settings set to limit the number of items in your closet. I definitely don't. My "standards" is more than that limit as it is, and when I add in seasonal items....

[Blue]

Day 3 Bonus: Rod of Supernova! From Beyond: A Guide to Ghostly Gifting
Snowie: Surfboard Keyring

I, too, dislike the new look of the scratchcard (and also dislike change). I suppose in the grand scheme of things, this is less than a drop in the ocean.

Thanks! I had no idea that I could remove the item limit in my closet. Dang. That would have saved a lot of time removing a few things yesterday. How slow does the closet get when it has more than 650 items?

I did like the Day 1 Premium background. I have considered splurging on Premium for many years, but never bothered. After last Saturday's shift at the bar, I had more than a little extra money in my pocket, so I just went for it.

[Siniri]

Day 4:
Snowager: Red Negg Goo (I was trying to snag it before the nine o'clock hour ended, then remembered I don't have to do that)
Reina: That Slice of Cake You Always Wanted (only if the cake is pea-flavored and works really well in the BD)

Today's didn't quite fit across on mobile, but you could zoom out and see it all (switched to desktop view just to make sure, because the physics seemed a bit off, but Neopian physics has always worked a bit different than earth physics). The Bruce looked like he was having fun, though! I hope they have very tough skulls, sliding around with no helmets like that.

Edit: according to JN, that stamp given out to premium members is exclusive. Making album items pay to play ain't it.

[Pickles]

Day 4
Reina: Christmas Gnorbu Morphing Potion
Snowie: Race to Riches Scratchcard (scratched for nothin')
Neggs that are not neggs/"pick up a negg": 1/1

You find 678 Neopoints!!!
You also find
Candy Cane Brucicle Bath Bomb
Toy Bruce Plushie
And for today's Premium Perk Prize, you also find
Christmas Bruce Stamp

I wonder why they did the Bruce day things a day early? Bruce day is tomorrow. Curious.
OH WAIT. Forgot about this:

Also, there may or may not be a unique storyline for this year's Advent Calendar that can only be accessed on the days it shows up, but we won't say when (except maybe be super sure to come see the Advent Calendar on these days - 12/5, 12/13, 12/21, 12/28, 12/29, 12/31!

Yep that's why Bruce day was today. Tomorrow will be something potentially more involved.
Commentary about the stamp/premium in spoilers so it can be skipped over for those who want to:

I know there will be outrage over the stamp....there already is. However, this is by far not the first time that album items have been pay-to-play...not even remotely. Can we talk about Golden Coco Stamp and Happy Lutari Stamp, only possible to get from the flip phone mobile game Coco Roll? Many people have pointed this out various places now...but premium is at least accessible everywhere. The stamps that are available only through RIC's with the new plushies are....not. (They have been out for a few months now, and are selling in the hundreds of millions at present, and are for some reason in the Neopia Central II album, and getting these outside the US/Canada is very difficult at present.)

I'm not saying TNT is taking the right tactics here, but at the same time, as I said earlier, from a practical perspective they do have to turn a profit or the site will just cease to exist. Premium is $8/month if you purchase it monthly (which is apparently VERY cheap compared to a lot of other online gaming sites? - I don't know as I don't play any others) or less than $6/month for a year. I know a LOT of people are signing up for a single month and getting the other perks along with the extra items. I should add...this is WAY cheaper than the plushies, which are more than I feel comfortable paying for a single plushie.

All that being said, I've been a premium member (with the exception of a not-quite-year-long gap a little over a year ago that ended when the bulk of the flash games were restored) for a number of years now. Do I enjoy the extra 4 pet slots? Yes. Have I in the past enjoyed the Nerkmids/Bubbling Fungus from the Premium Dome? Yes. (Okay, I still do, but I'm sitting on a pile and a half of Nerkmids as I keep hoping they'll go back up SOME but they're not.) Does the SSW make life easier for me (and my family, as I help them by SSW'ing things for them)? Yes. Did I miss SSW during the time I didn't have it? Yes...but it wasn't necessary to play. I signed back up specifically to support the switch over in management and to help support the site. Am I happy they're finally adding in more perks for it (after having devalued so many of them)? Yes.

With so many people using adblockers, do they probably need to entice people to help support the site (since ad blocking does not, and being realistic, ad-related support is probably not as profitable as it once was)? Probably. Are album items the way to go? I'm not sure. A lot of people will sell them, as there's a lot of people who do not collect album items, and would rather have the NPs for something else. Some people are even giving the premium extras away through item raffles on Discord! Similarly, the wearables have been selling from the people who don't care much about customizing. Each option they choose will affect SOME group of players on the site, be it someone who collects a specific set of items (I mean, if they put out an exclusive Negg, that would've hit me) or people who album, etc. I don't think there's a right answer.

[Blue]

Day 4 Bonus: From Beyond: A Guide to Ghostly Gifting (same as yesterday)
Snowie: Candy Filled Negg (which is not a negg)

I was happy to spend some on Neopets, especially if it helps them continue. I have considered it for probably 4 to 5 years, but never did. This time I did. Maybe I'll renew next year, maybe I won't.

I must say that having no ads on mobile has been really nice. uBlock Origin does a great job on my PC, but premium actually looks a little better since the top ad banner area is gone instead of a banner that has no ad. I am getting used to the SSW, which is one of the primary reasons I wanted Premium - it's a timesaver to finding the cheapest shop for an item. I will admit that I have refreshed the SSW a few times :headdesk:

The bonus stamp is sort of a non-plus to me, as I do not do albums, decks, etc. It is going for a chunk on the TP right now, but it may end up in my SDB... Then again, I could use a few more NP in my bank account. We'll see.

FWIW, An annual Webkinz Deluxe membership is $44.99/year. (or $5.99/mo on the monthly plan)

ETA:

Day 5 Bonus: Red Gift Pouch
Snowie: Red Koi Keyring

Interesting that Orion is back... Hmmm

[Pickles]

Dialogue:

Orion: Hello, Reina. Thank you for allowing me to return. I have to admit, I was fairly certain you wouldn't.
Reina: Your letter explaining your reasonings was very compelling. Plus, Queen Fyora assured me that those visiting the Advent Calendar would be safe.
Reina: However, I did hear about your...episodes during the Faerie Festival, and I have some concerns regarding how exactly it is guaranteed not to happen again?
Orion: Yes...that was a difficult time.
Ever since the last Advent Calendar there has been a power growing inside this Lyre. A power that has controlled me in more ways than one.
But after Jhudora and Illusen cracked the Lyre I haven't felt a thing. Even during Halloween, not a single vision or nightmare.
Reina: But Neopians would have been spread out for Halloween, and you said you're affected more during times of large gatherings.
Orion: Well, it's not an exact science.
I can't guarantee nothing will happen, but Seshatia has a teleportation book ready if I, let's say, "get out of hand." If you use it, she'll come and teleport me far away to keep everyone safe.
Reina: So, if you're not actively seeking out large gatherings to trigger visions, then why are you here?
Orion: I am sort of here for that, but not in the way you are thinking. You see, after months of research, Seshatia and I finally found something, but there's an issue.
Reina: What sort of issue?
Orion: It would be easier to understand if I started from the beginning.

Day 5
Reina: Soup Faerie Stamp
Snowie: Coconut Keyring
Neggs that are not neggs/"pick up a negg": 1/1

You find 1221 Neopoints!!!
You also find
Water Musical Cylinder
Frozen Map
And for today's Premium Perk Prize, you also find
Fuzzy Parka

I'm guessing we'll be seeing Orion on the other days listed in my previous post.

[Siniri]

Snowie: Frozen Raindorf
Reina: Soup Faerie Stamp

Fell asleep in the middle of dailies. Have to finish the rest now!

[Blue]

Bonus: Flower of Remembrance
Snowie: Red Korbat Keyring

The Gift Tag Sugar Cookie sounds delicious