Yule 2022 - Welcome to the North Pole

[PookaWitch]

Once again it was Yuletide in Katterheim. The clean up and trouble shooting had taken months after the Lamorian attempt to 'rescue' Yule last year. Every bat had been removed from the rafters, the blackened evergreens were, well, green again, and the last of the biting vampire toys had been staked. Everything was back to normal.

The Yule priestesses did a fantastic job of decorating the town in red, green, silver and gold. The trees were laden with garlands, ornaments and lights, the sound of carols filled the air and the sweet smell of yuletide baking diffused into the streets. Everything had the right festive air and sphinxes were filled with joyful yuletide spirit.

Word had been that after the debacle last year, Santa would be trying to come to Katterheim once again. The Yule priestesses were in a flurry of activity making sure that everything was perfect.

It was a small cub who first noticed the sound of sleigh bells and pointed to the sky in glee that Santa must be on his way... early!!

[PookaWitch]

Ho ho ho!

[PookaWitch]

~*~ Jolly New Reveals ~*~

(Items will be posted here after their appearance in the thread.)

[PookaWitch]

~*~ Long Running Contests ~*~

Art Contest

Art of any medium, with the theme of the Sphinxes adoptable and Yuletide in the North Pole.
(We do not accept or condone AI art.)

Sometimes judging comes down to 'does it look like it could be from the Sphinxes adoptable or does it look like an anthro cat"? Its a trixy fine line! Pencil drawings, digital work, sculpture, whatever your ready to try! You MUST have made it yourself and it must have been made for this contest.

Make sure to sign your picture.

Our favourite will win the Yule Priest below....




Everybody who enters will be randomized for one person to win a Yule Priestess or Yule Priest (their choice) upgrade for one of their sphinxes!

(The new Yule Priest Outfit... sack optional.)

SPOILER: Click to show

To enter PM your picture with the title "Yule 2022 Art Contest" to Mr. Pooka .

You have until midnight EST on December 19th to enter.

~*~*~*~

CYG (Colour Your Gift) Secret Santa!

We're holding a sphinx Secret Santa this year! The gifts will be a sphinx, but we have a special option, to colour a sphinx that you can give to a random person! (You will need an art program that animates for the one option.) You cannot have somebody else colour one for you to give away, you may only colour it yourself.

To enter the Secret Santa you need to either colour the sphinx from the template posted below or gift a sphinx that you already own (which will be given to a random person who entered). You may only enter and be placed on the list once. The sphinx gifted may be one that you win in the thread before the submission date.


To enter PM Mr. Pooka with the title "Secret Santa" and you will be placed on the list. Include in your post the sphinx you are gifting, whether it's one you coloured or one you already own. You will not know ahead of time who you are gifting to, we're going to randomize gifts and recipients on the day they're given out.



Click here for the Template
(Click Free Download, and when it asks just click 'free' again.)


Please do not use the template outside of this contest and please delete the file after this event is over (and you've made sure that Mr. Pooka has a copy).

You have until 12 PM EST on December 17th to get your sphinx entry in.
We'll do our best to get them out on the 21rst.


CYG rules

(Sorry, lots of rules here, but mostly common sense.)

~ Please only take the CYG option if you  have the means to get the PSD to Mr. Pooka. We NEED the PSD.

~ Only colour on the layers that say 'colour here'
~ No altering the line art or drawing outside of the colour layers.
~ Do not adjust the shading/highlights or remove them.
~ Do not remove the antlers.
~ Harness and hair are optional
~ No using image brushes (ie. brushes that are of an image/pattern)
~ No using images that are not your own.
~ Do not colour in a way that makes it look like they have another trait or item (ie. drawing wings on the body)
~ Do not re-size the image file
~ When complete send in the image file to Mr. Pooka for certing/saving into a web image.
~ Make sure to put your name in the 'coloured by' text, and do not change any other text.

~*~*~*~

Holiday Cookies!

Many people bake around the holidays and we would like to see what you've made! Take a photo, with your username and 'North Pole 2022' in the picture of a holiday baking that you've done. Post it in the thread with the title "YumYum" . The picture can be of cookies, fruitcake, whatever... so long as it's festive and for the holidays.

Anybody who posts a picture of their baking will receive either a plate of cookies (and milk if you desire), a candy cane or a gingerbread house.



You may only enter once.

You have until 12 PM EST on December 20th to enter.

~*~*~

Gingerbread House Decorating

Decorate the above house with candy, frosting, etc. all drawn on. You may do so digitally or take a picture of a RL drawing decoration of it printed out.
To enter post your completed gingerbread house in the thread with the title "Good Enough to Eat" (in bold).

Our favourite design will win Yark the Herald! (We're going by creativity, not skill.)





Everybody who enters will be put into a draw for Kruid Noten  (name changeable).






You have until midnight EST on December 19th to enter.

~*~*~

Yuletide Word Search

Complete the Word Search below. (Note, it also goes backwards.)






(You don't need to actually sign your name.)

PM the completed search to Mr. Pooka titled "Yuletide Word Search"

The first person to PM the correctly completed search will win a North Pole Aurora background! (Pole optional.)




Everybody who sends in a completed search will be entered into a draw for one person to win their choice of...

A bag of presents, a caroler job change or an elf job change.





You have until 12 PM EST on December 13th to enter.

[PookaWitch]

Merry Yuletide!

[PookaWitch]

One more, just in case.

[Mr. Pooka]

Elf on the Shelf


Inspired by one of the ideas he'd heard at the Council of Claus' round table over Hot Chocolates and Eggnogs, Santa decided to try out a new plan inspired by one from another distant world... an Elf Scout! He had just right Elf in mind, a true master of disguise who was tricky but in all the nicest ways. He could dodge around the land and investigate some of the Sphinxes who had somehow evaded Santa's Naughty and Nice senses!




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Elf on the Shelf


The rules of this game are easy but the game itself might be tricky because there are very few rules at all... Our Elf above is hiding somewhere he can spy on some Sphinxes. The first person to PM me a picture of the Elf (wearing his current disguise, which will change every time he hides somewhere else!) will get on a random list to win him! After the Elf has been found, He'll go hide somewhere else.... The person who finds him the most times over this event will also win their choice of a Yule Priest or Priestess Job Upgrade!

The very first person to find the Elf the first time will also win a Sack of Toys item, (-8

Similar to how Stray Cats and Missing Reindeer are announced, I'll announce when the Elf is hiding and when he is found! (He needs a bit of travel time to get to a new scouting spot and the Elf Association guarantees him frequent breaks!)



----------------------------------

Who has spotted the Elf on the Shelf?

Operetta X 3 (first one and winner of a Sack of Toys!)
Tierasa X 1
Sanguine_Dragon X 2

[Operetta]

Current Games

(I'm being lazy with names.)

[PookaWitch]

Please feel free to post.

[tierasa]

*sneaks in* I'm so here for this and so very excited. I love all the new things!

EDIT: Graham is definitely here to celebrate.

[PookaWitch]

There's still more to be revealed through the event. ^_^

[wolfrysk]

Yuuuuuuule! -flails around-

[kaats711]

Merry Yule! 

[PookaWitch]

I'm so pumped for today. ^_^

Mr. Pooka keeps trying to send out the mailing list, but it keeps failing and saying how the message doesn't exist. ^^; He's working on it.

[PookaWitch]

Many a sphinx looked up to the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse and sure enough there was a red sleigh, being pulled by two reindeer. It was loaded with a huge sack behind the driver. At first glance the figure dressed in red trimmed with white seemed as if it may be the jolly old elf himself, but as the flying sleigh landed on the snow the true driver and the elves could be clearly seen.










Peppermint: "Woah Jumper, Woah Tempest! We're in Katterheim!" The festively dressed sphinx waved from the sleigh. She had a very jolly look about her and seemed delighted to be there. "Merry Yuletide to all! My name is Peppermint and I love the decorations, it feels so much like home." she gave a friendly smile. 

Kristabelle: "Princess, shouldn't we get right to the point?"

Peppermint: "In a moment, hold your reindeer.  First... I'm going to give out some presents!" With those words she opened up the sack behind her and started to pass around wrapped presents.






Peppermint's Early Gifting


Everyone may pick one present from the following selection. 


All you need to do is post the words "Thank you for the gift!" along with a sphinx you own, the item you want and an RP post (short, long, simple, chapters, whatever) and they will have the chosen item added to them! (The item must be added to the chosen sphinx, not stored, and alt certs are fine but please mention it in your entry.)

You have until 12 hours from now to post your choice.