Winter Sidebar...

[Mongrel]

You could say the requirement for random avatars is just to be surfing the site or refresh at a certain page.

Well, it'd be mighty hard to get a Neopets avatar while not on Neopets, but neither of those avatars require you to "surf" the site. You could visit almost any single page via a bookmark, and suddenly get the avatar. I looked up "surf" and the slang version requires you to look at a variety of "things," and in the phrase "surf the site," that means you have to look at a variety of pages.
("What's that in your hand?"
"Nothing."
"It's not nothing! It's a great big pile of nits! You've been picking at them, haven't you?")

[Officer 1BDI]

-have a Christmas petpet attached
-have advent items in inventory, deposit box, neohome, and gallery
-have "let it snow" avatar equipped
-visit calendar through terror mountain
-watch all animations in full
-have snowballs and snowflakes equipped
-have snowballs and snowflakes in inventory, stock, and gallery
-buy some advent items
-sell some advent items
-donate advent items
-play winter/snow/terror mountain themed games
-have a cheerful pet

Just to add my own experiences (going down the list):

- I did not have a Christmas petpet, period. I did have a snow buzzer on a Christmas pet, though.
- I didn't have a neohome at the time, and all of my advent items (save for the ones I received that day) were in my SDB.
- I did not have the Let It Snow avvie; I just got it last month.
- I can't remember if I ever visited the calendar through TM; I would doubt it, but it's possible.
- I did watch all of the animations in full.
- I probably did had some snowballs equipted...
- ...and/or in my inventory.
- I may have bought advent items.
- I did not sell advent items (saving for patrack avvie).
- I may have donated advent items (remember last year when people were freaking out over accidentally grabbing extra advent items? I wasn't one of them, but I think I might have grabbed some off the money tree and immediately redonated them out of paranoia).
- I played Cliffhanger on a regular basis when I first started Neopets, so I probably played that and other TM games during December.
- I'm fairly sure all of my pets were Delighted by this time, having heard what happens to them when they get sad. >_>

[May]

Just to add my own experiences (going down the list):

- I did not have a Christmas petpet, period. I did have a snow buzzer on a Christmas pet, though.
- I'm fairly sure all of my pets were Delighted by this time, having heard what happens to them when they get sad. >_>

Hmm, there is a possibility that we had those in common. I keep my pets at delighted also because I don't want the color-changing event. There's also the possibility that I had a snow petpet attached to one of my pets. I remember having the Snow Kookith attached to one of my pets, but I really don't remember if it was during the Advent or not. Something to definitely try for those people who don't have the sidebar.

[miz sparrow]

I do have a snow buzzer equipped, and have for 2-3 years, but I can't recall if I actually checked the advent calander on the 31st last year! (At the time I was kind of taking a break from neopets).

I have heard a lot of people who got the sidebar say things about snow pets or petpets. Hm...

[Azzie]

i've stuffed a bunch of snowballs into my inventory, just in case it is the deciding factor.

[Kitten Medli]

My mom got the sidebar, she has no snow petpets or pets. I'm really thinking its random..

[sily_sicily]

My mom got the sidebar, she has no snow petpets or pets. I'm really thinking its random..

Maybe you'll have to have all your pets happy? Since TNT stated in the Editorial that it isn't random.
But they may lie...

[Teelie]

I have it and I think it was a random event I refreshed to get. It's been at least a year, maybe two (whenever it came out first) so it has been a while. I had a snowbunny equipped to a pet at the time but I doubt that was a requirement.

[Mriiekj]

I think it's the christmas/snow petpet, or the status of your pets.
Last year, on my old account, my pets were hungry and not very happy, and I didn't have any snow or christmas pet, an I didn't get the sidebar.

Or once again, neopets fooled us all, and it ís random.

[GIR]

I think it's the christmas/snow petpet, or the status of your pets.
Last year, on my old account, my pets were hungry and not very happy, and I didn't have any snow or christmas pet, an I didn't get the sidebar.

Or once again, neopets fooled us all, and it ís random.

The News page did say it was a random event, on the day when everyone was allowed to use it.

[Rakumel]

I've always kept my pets at delighted! , and I did NOT get the sidebar.

Geez, this is like trying to put together a puzzle where not only is there no picture on the box, but none of the pieces seem to fit together.

[Eldric_Dragonsblood]

The key seems pretty obvious to me.

"S" "N" "O" "W".

So far, everyone of the "did gets" seems to have had SOMETHING with the word "snow" included in the name active (i.e. in inventory, equipped, turned on, etc).



SNOWballs (either in inventory or equipped)
SNOWflakes
SNOW petpets (Snowbunnys, Snow Buzzer, et al.)
"Let it SNOW" Avatar.
SNOWglobes

I shall be trying it with snowballs, snowglobes, and "Let it Snow"

[Meer]

Hmm, well I hope that's right! I've done pretty much everything you can do with snowballs, I play snowmuncher every day cuz it's one of my favorite games, I've also played snowball fight and snow wars II. I also have the snowmuncher avatar currently. But I don't have any snow, Christmas or wintery pets or petpets.

But it's so hard to know what exactly is right. >.< This is crazy cuz we only have once chance a year to figure it out!

[ginevra]

The key seems pretty obvious to me.

"S" "N" "O" "W".

So far, everyone of the "did gets" seems to have had SOMETHING with the word "snow" included in the name active (i.e. in inventory, equipped, turned on, etc).



SNOWballs (either in inventory or equipped)
SNOWflakes
SNOW petpets (Snowbunnys, Snow Buzzer, et al.)
"Let it SNOW" Avatar.
SNOWglobes

I shall be trying it with snowballs, snowglobes, and "Let it Snow"

Yeah, except that's not a great theory: I have a snow Bruce, with a snowbunny and another pet with a snow kookith. My active pet was equipped with dirty snow and a snowball. No sidebar for me! So it's not -just- SNOW somewhere on your neopets person. But it could well be snow in a particular fashion or combination.

Now, I don't know if those snowflakes in the news today were meant as a hint or just random...

[May]

I was thinking -- the way to unlock the winter sidebar ISN'T by staying up on Christmas Eve or Christmas night until midnight and refreshing at Terror Mountain... right? ~narelliagiven
More hint requests?!

Ah, since it is a once-in-a-year opportunity, we'll let you off the hook this time. If you are celebrating Christmas, please don't upset Santa by staying up to midnight on Neopets. Should you meet the requirements, you'll be able to collect the sidebar by visiting the Advent Calendar at ANY time on December 31st.

Just in case people didn't check the Neopian Times today...