An International Christmas in Second Life

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

It’s that time of the year again, it seems like it was here only yesterday!

We wonder where the past year has gone…

We look forward to the winter solstice…

And, with of all of this, some of us look forward to Christmas!

(I reassure Significant Other that a certain list has been received.)

In Second Life (SL), Christmas is very much alive just as in Real Life (RL).

But, perhaps, no more so than in Mieville where the indefatigable Perryn Peterson, its Mayor, and his elves have been pulling extra shifts to get ready for the Christmas Holiday inworld!  

In Christmases past, Mieville has been host to A Christmas Carol, an Elizabethan Christmas with a frozen River Thames, and a winter wonderland to name but a few themes.   

Perryn and his band of merry elves have not been lacking for ideas for this year’s Christmas. 

Its theme is a World Winter Festival.  And, it’s all waiting for you to come and enjoy!

Come see Christmas from Mexico, Africa, Australia, Japan, Germany and North America!

There is much to see and do as always!

Visitors will be able to visit merchants in over one hundred booths and wagons peruse their goods.  There'll be entertainment, gachas, ice skating, dancing, food and drinks, and much more! 

And, of course, don’t forget the new and improved mini-hunt where each merchant will have a surprise gift hidden in their establishment for shoppers to try and find. 

Mieville wouldn’t be Mieville without new and magical attractions.

This year has almost all new buildings, gorgeous landscaping by Mike Olbracht, beautiful dance area, wintery rides and much more!  

They’ve outdone themselves as usual!

(Yes, admittedly, I’m biased.  But, given the wonderful experiences which Perryn and his team produce consistently for their visitors, I think I’m entitled!)

I heartily recommend visiting Mystic Yule in Mieville which runs from December 1^st to 31^st and can be located here! 

Maybe you’ll even run into me there!

I’d like to thank Perryn and his elves for another wonderful seasonal event and for

assisting me in preparing this story for all my loyal readers!  (All three of you!) 

I’d also like to thank The Companion who took all the beautiful photos used in this story and the others which can be found on this flickrpage.  

Happy Holidays to all from Significant Other and me! 

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

            If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

            Open roads and kind fires!

A Mystical Christmas in Second Life

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more! 

Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

It’s that time of the year again.

We wonder where the past year has gone…

We look forward to the winter solstice…

And, with of all of this, some of us look forward to Christmas!

(I reassure Significant Other that a certain list has been received.)

In Second Life (SL), Christmas is very much alive just as in Real Life (RL).

But, perhaps, no more so than in Mieville where the indefatigable Perryn Peterson, its Mayor, and his elves have been pulling extra shifts to get ready for the Christmas Holiday inworld!   

In Christmases past, Mieville has been host to A Christmas Carol, an Elizabethan Christmas with a frozen River Thames, and a winter wonderland to name but a few themes.   

Perryn and his band of merry elves have not been lacking for ideas for this year’s Christmas. 

Its theme is Mystic Yule which as Perryn puts it is, “A full sim of snowy, forested, magical, faerie Christmas and Yule delights!”  (The man does have a way with words!)

And, it’s all waiting for you to come and enjoy!

There is much to see and do as always!

Visitors will be able to visit merchants in over one hundred booths and wagons peruse their goods.  There'll be entertainment, gachas, ice skating, dancing, food and drinks, and much more! 

And, of course, don’t forget the new and improved mini-hunt where each merchant will have a surprise gift hidden in their establishment for shoppers to try and find. 

Mieville wouldn’t be Mieville without new and magical attractions.

This year has almost all new buildings, gorgeous landscaping by Mike Olbracht,

beautiful dance area, wintery rides and the Wizard's Tower!  (Hint: Which you can find your way out of by following the "down" doors which are clearly marked!)    

Perryn and his crew wanted to do something faerie-like and mysterious, home in on the mystical nature of Christmas, and to cater to their large fantasy following.

They’ve outdone themselves as usual!

(Yes, admittedly, I’m biased.  But, given the wonderful experiences which Perryn and his team produce consistently for their visitors, I think I’m entitled!)

I heartily recommend visiting Mystic Yule in Mieville which runs from December 1^st to January 1^st and can be located here! 

Maybe you’ll even run into me there!

I’d like to thank Perryn and his elves for another wonderful seasonal event and for

assisting me in preparing this story for all my loyal readers!  (All three of you!) 

I’d also like to thank The Companion who took all the beautiful photos used in this story and the others which can be found on this flickr page. 

Happy Holidays to all from Significant Other and me! 

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

            If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

            Open roads and kind fires!

The Christmas Season in Second Life

 

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Norman Vincent Peale

  

          I know it’s getting on towards Christmastime in Real Life (RL) when the last of the Thanksgiving turkey is finished and Black Friday unleashes its fury on the world. 

          I know it’s getting on towards Christmastime in Second Life (SL) when my old friend inworld, Perryn Peterson, drops me a line and asks if I’d like a preview of the current year’s

Christmas extravaganza in SL!

          The Mieville Christmas event is an annual feature of a very active SL social calendar. 

          Each year has a different theme. 

          Past themes have been A Christmas Carol, Christkindlkmarkt, and the last time the River Thames froze over. 

          As usual, I kick off my own Christmas season by meeting with Perryn and getting a sneak peek at the festivities before the official opening. 

          (Significant Other adds writing Christmas cards to the list of pre-Holiday fun.)

          This year’s theme is Christmas Land!

          And, it’s a no holds barred jump into the joy, pageantry, and innocent celebration which makes up the Christmas season!

          The Christmas Land sim comprises four Lands which make up the sim along with Santa’s Hangout.

          These are Snow Land, Candy Land, Toy Land, and Lights Land.

          Each has its own unique perspective on Christmas.

          My tour begins with my rezzing into an ice palace where I meet my tour guide, Perryn.

         

Walking through the entrance to Christmas Land takes us out onto the main street.

          Multi-colored passenger rail cars line both sides of the street where glimpses of life-sized toys and Christmas decorations can be seen between the cars.

          The four Christmas Lands can be found off this main street.

          The eponymously named sims each show a different aspect of the Holiday traditions. 

          True to his customary cleverness, Perryn has ensured that Christmas Land is different from all the Christmas festivals of the past!

          New games and amusements from Miss Tailahr Winnikow are in evidence across the Lands.

          New merchants’ booths from Sebastian (AKA Sebby) Tiogar in the shape of Christmas decorations and novelties are everywhere.  (Along with merchants and their

wares to fill them!)

          Topping it all off is Santa Claus’ Hangout with his throne room and the reindeer stables. 

          (Perryn as well as several of his colleagues will be filling in for Santa this year.)

          The Advent Calendar with a different gift for visitors for each day leading up to Christmas is also located in Santa’s Hangout.

          Across the skating ring which is directly in front of the Hangout is the gacha hall where seasonal gachas can be obtained,

          Some of the new activities include customizing the snow person, snow ball fights, sledding and snowmen bowling (definitely not for the faint of heart), ice fishing, and new rides like the rising cookie ride!

          Give them all a try!

          Other highlights include gifts from the merchants (don’t forget to check the peppermint candy boxes scattered across Christmas Land), Arcadia Asylum’s marvelous freebies are

available at the Cog & Grog shop, and Moonsugah Monday’s fabulous refreshments which can almost be tasted are available!

          (BTW Moonsugah has recently moved her shop into Mieville Twain!)

          Christmas Land is a fun and lighthearted view of Christmas which can be enjoyed by everyone and I certainly recommend all to come and get into the spirit of the Holiday! 

          Christmas Land can be found here and will be open from November 27th to January 3rd.

          Come, have fun, and enjoy yourselves!

          Bring friends!

          (Snowball fights are no fun all by yourself!)

          Tell ‘em web sent you!

          (And watch out for those snowballs!)

          I’d like to thank Perryn for taking the time to meet with me and giving the guided tour!

          I’d also like to thank him and his team for another wonderful Christmas festival!

          More pictures from my visit can be found on this flicker page. 

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

          Open roads and kind fires!

 

The River Thames Freezes in Second Life

 Twenty bridges from Tower to Kew -

Wanted to know what the River knew,

Twenty Bridges or twenty-two,

For they were young, and the Thames was old

And this is the tale that River told:

 

Rudyard Kipling

                                                                

 

          The year is drawing to a close.

          Thoughts (at least mine) turn to the Holidays and their traditions.

          Second Life (SL) as does Real Life (RL) has its traditions for this time of the year.

          One of these traditions is a Christmas extravaganza put on by the inimitable Perryn Peterson, the Mayor of Mieville. 

          Folks still talk about his Christkindlmarkt that he put on last year and his A Christmas Carol before that. 

          True to form, this year Perryn has gone looking for something different yet original which will entertain his guests.

          Care to guess?

          Drum roll please.  (Significant Other rolls eyes and mumbles something about laying it on a bit thick.)

          This year’s Christmas celebration is derived from the 1814 Frost Fair in London which was the last time the River Thames froze solid enough for people to not only walk across but to throw a four day party because apparently with the river frozen there wasn’t a lot else for the folks whose living depended on its waters flowing to do otherwise. 

          Appropriately, Perryn has entitled this year’s event, “The Thames River Frost Fair.”

          (I don’t know how Perry digs up these little nuggets of history, but he sure can find ‘em!)

          The freezing of the Thames came towards the end of a period known as the Little Ice Age. The 1814 occurrence is also the last time that the Thames has frozen over so completely and solidly. (Please let’s not get into any arguments over global warming, I get enough of that in RL.) 

          The Frost Fair was an occasion for celebration with food, drink, and dance.  An ox was roasted on the ice.  Pubs and other shops were set up on the ice forming what was like a small town for several days.  Even an elephant was walked across the ice to show how frozen solid it was.  (Yes, I did ask Perryn if he’d have an elephant at his.  He replied he would if he could but not to hold my breath.  I tried!)

          Apparently, Perryn shared with me there’s even a piece of gingerbread left over from the original Frost Fair somewhere in a museum in London.  (I’ll bet it’s the Victoria & Albert.  That place has everything they don’t know where else to put in England.) 

         

Perryn’s Frost Fair is very much in the spirit of the original.

          Frost Fair is Perryn’s largest festival to date both in terms of size and participants. 

          Size wise, it’s almost an entire sim.  Regarding participants, over 150 merchants will be participating which is another record for him.

          Rezzing into Frost Fair, one is immediately hit by the stark, white reality of winter.  It even feels cold.  The landing zone overlooks the Fair and it’s big!

           A large frozen area represents the frozen waters of the River Thames and is bisected by London Bridge.  (What?  Did you expect the George Washington Bridge perhaps?) At one end is small group of buildings representing London itself.

          Frost Fair is divided into three areas, two of them on ice.  The third is contained in London proper.

          One area contains shops with spots for refreshments and relaxation.  This has been sponsored by Mountain Rose.

          The second area contains additional shopping as well as the amusement area with all the rides.  (Yes, Perryn may have taken a few liberties with the anachronisms but this is SL after all!)  BTW, watch out for the polar bear wandering around here.

          The third area located on terra firma (Or as terra firma as anything can be inworld) on a low bluff overlooking the river has shops for the merchants and their offerings.  The gacha building will be located here and there is a rumor that Santa’s Workshop may be here as well.

          Wandering through the fair, I see booths, shops, and barges (frozen in place) arranged for all the merchants.  When it opens, the Fair is going to be a very busy place!  As usual, Perryn has attracted the best merchants and the finest merchandise to be seen in one place inworld.  Definitely the place to go for Holiday gifts for your loved ones and friends.  (Or, just treat yourself if no one else does!)

         

Besides shopping there will be a full range of activities during Frost Fair.  Storytellers will be scheduled, and dances and parties will be held.  Check in regularly to see what’s going to be happening.  An Advent calendar will also be available in the town area dispensing a different gift for each day. 

Frost Fair will run from November 28^th to December 28^th and can be found here.

          This promises to be a fun event in the spirit of holiday festivals in SL.

          I’ll be around and hope to meet you there!

          Additional Frost Fair pictures may be found here.

          Happy Holidays!

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives.         

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

          Open roads and kind fires!

Festivals in Second Life

 Life is a festival only to the wise.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

                                                                  

          Recently, I realized that there are a lot of festivals in Second Life (SL). 

          Given all the fictional and homegrown festivals that also always seem to be going on inworld there are probably more here than in Real Life (RL)!  (Significant Other indicates that we have enough festivals as it is already.  Boundaries must be respected.)

          Yes, there are the big three, Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day.

Interestingly, these are supposedly the same big three in RL at least in the Western traditions.

          These festivals are celebrated across SL in a variety of ways.

          Some sims do themselves over for the holiday.  Some exit merely for the holiday and then, poof, are gone until next year.  If they even come back at all.

          Residents get into the spirit of things as much as folks seem to in RL.  (Although, I think the Christmas decorations on homes are even more over the top inworld than in some American developments which is saying a lot.  I wonder if the SL neighbors complain as much too?)

          But, then there are the other festivals which may be a little smaller or restricted to a specific geographic area but are still fun events to attend.

          Recent examples have St. Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras, and Cinco de Mayo.  (Coincidentally, these are all Perryn Peterson productions!)

          I’m sure there’re more, I just haven’t found them yet.  (Or, Perryn hasn’t celebrated them yet!)

          Other festivals that I’ve come across have been the Chinese Lunar New Year, Day of the Dead, and V-E Day.  All were fun events.

          Dropping by all these festivals got me thinking about what really comprises a festival in SL.

          Festivals seem to fall into three major categories.

          First are those based on RL holidays like Christmas.  (I’m beginning to realize that

there is a religious aspect to these as well but more on that in future stories.)  Others are derived from RL fiction like A Christmas Carol from Charles Dickens’ story.  Finally, others seem to spring from the life and culture of SL itself. Hunts like the Renaissance Hunt & Faire fall into this category.

          Then there’s the commitment behind these.

          These festivals just don’t happen.  Planning and preparation are involved.  Then there’s the promotion of the event.

          Last but not least, people have to come to the festivals.  (Trust me, having thrown more than one party in RL where I was the only attendee this is no fun at all.  Significant Other really amped up my social life!)       

          And they do!

          Once again, I find myself coming back to the sense of community in SL which keeps everybody together and keeps bringing them back. 

          The festivals are just an excuse, albeit a very good one, for people to come together and have a good time.  The interpersonal relationships are the glue that hold SL together.  It’s certainly not Linden Lab’s customer service!

         

As we approach the traditional yearend festivities inworld, I’ll be visiting my usual favorites.

          But, I’d also like to break out of my comfort zone and visit new ones.

          So, please if you’re arranging or know of festivals that are taking place in SL, let me know.  I’ll visit them and post about them.  (Significant Other arches an eyebrow.)

          Hope to meet you there!

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives.         

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

          Open roads and kind fires!