The middle of December has come and gone, which means that it's getting late for your Christmas shopping! Ha ha ha ha!!

... Wait, wrong line.

The middle of December has come and gone, which also means that half the building time alloted for the Christmas village contest is now behind us. Worry not, though, for there is plenty of time to jump in even if you haven't started yet! Spruce Hills has been expanded a few times already due to the popularity of this event, and more plots have been added to be built on. Don't hesitate if you've been thinking about jumping in! All participants will win some Merit Points, giving them a chance at winning some prizes!


Prizes to be won!

Speaking of Merit Points, here's an update on how that's progressing along with a preview of potential prizes.

As I've indicated previously, Merit Points are being assigned to each participant in the various seasonal events through the year. So far, this includes the Sand Castles contest, the Halloween event, and the Christmas village building contest. As always, you can track your progress in your profile by entering your player name at the top of any page of the Creeper's Lab. You can also view the leaderboard on the forums. The more points you have, the better chance you have at winning prizes!

The current plan calls for a full year of events before winners are drawn, so that will happen in July 2016. Until then, there are plenty of upcoming events to gather points!

Once that year is over, a set number of winners (at least 3) will be determined. Each person will then get to choose a prize from the pile, making sure that they get something that they want! But what's in the pile, you say? What am I earning these points for? Surely it can't be worth the effort (and fun) I'm putting into this! Here's a preview of some of the prizes that will be available...

- $20 Amazon.com gift card - Buy what you want!

- Plush squid - I have one at home, and now so can you!

- A selection of Steam games - For some single or multiplayer fun!

- Lego Minecraft #21119 - The Dungeon - For real-life block handling!

More will be added over time, so stay tuned for the full list... and keep on participating!