Happy December, Residents! The holidays are here, and we’ve packed the season with festive fun for everyone. From epic shopping sprees to snowball battles, there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate in Second Life this winter. Here’s a peek at what’s coming your way:

2024 Holiday Shop & Hop

The 2024 Holiday Shop & Hop is almost here with 320 participating merchants across 16 shopping regions, bringing you loads of festive fun! Every store will have at least a 20% discount on all items and a free (non-group) gift for shoppers or a gift certificate valued at L$300 or above!

The event formally opens to the public on Friday, December 6th at 9 AM PT/SLT – but who wants to wait when you can get early access?! If you can’t contain your excitement, join the official Second Life Birthday group inworld to be granted immediate access.

Before you jump inworld, you can get a sneak peek at many of the items that will be available in the official Second Life Shop & Hop Flickr pool. And don’t forget to share photos of your haul after your shopping excursion!

To visit the 2024 Holiday Shop & Hop – start at any one of the Regions – but be sure to visit them all to see everything that’s available. Happy shopping!

Scroll to the end of this post for a complete list of all 320 participating Shop & Hop Merchants and their direct slurls!

Winter Last Names 2024

To celebrate the winter holiday season, we have released some festive new last names!

The following winter-themed names are only available for a limited time:  
Candyclaws
Merry
Frostlake
Candlewick
Prancer
Silverbells
Mistlefluff
Alegria
Befana
Hollyberry

These names for winter are seasonal and may come back around this time next year, for a limited time.

We will continue to make additional updates to the available last name pool, so if these options aren’t for you, stay tuned for future updates. You can also suggest your favorite name on our suggestion form, the new names were chosen from there! 

For more information about the costs and how-tos involved in name changes, read the Changing your username FAQ. Click to change your name now!

New Winter Premium & Premium Plus Gifts

Premium members, get ready for a special treat! Enjoy an exclusive, limited-edition Premium and Premium Plus gift designed to bring extra holiday cheer and charm to your inworld adventures. Drop by one of the Premium Gift kiosks and pick up your exclusive holiday gift!

Santa Patch & “The Molelves”

Mark your calendars for Friday, December 6, 2024! From 12 PM to 3 PM PT/SLT, join us for a special festive event with Santa Patch and the “Molelves”!

Stop by for holiday fun, photos, and plenty of cheer. Share your Christmas wishes, and don’t miss out on the exclusive Frosty Puff Boopie, available only at the Christmas Expo!
We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

📍 Location: Santa Patch & The Molelves

Linden & Resident Snowball Fight

Grab your warm clothes and prepare for some snowy mayhem at the Winter Wonderland Snowball Fight Arena! This year’s event promises sparkling snowballs, big laughs, and a chance to face off against your favorite Lindens.

Event Details

• When? Friday, December 20th
  • First battle: 8 AM – 9 AM PT/SLT
  • Second battle: 12 PM – 1 PM PT/SLT
• Location: Winter Wonderland Snowball Fight Arena

Arrive early to snag your free snow-launching gear from vendors around the arena. Assemble your squad and prepare for the ultimate showdown. See you on the battlefield! Mark your calendars!

Winter Wonderland

Explore Winter Wonderland by Linden Lab, opening at 7 AM PT/SLT on Friday, December 6, 2024. Winter Wonderland is your go-to holiday destination! You can access this magical region through Portal Park or by direct teleport. Once inside, dive into the action with competitive snowball fights in the arena, race down the slopes in an exciting sledding mini-game, and glide gracefully across a picturesque ice skating rink.

Join the Snowflake Hunt to discover hidden treasures and collect the exciting new 2024 Boopies as your prizes! The Snowflake Hunt is open for everyone to enjoy throughout December.

Snowflake Hunt: Collect Limited-Edition Boopies

The Snowflake Hunt is an exciting activity within the Winter Wonderland regions! This hunt is all about tracking down snowflakes scattered throughout the frosty landscape to win exclusive prizes.

Collect all the snowflakes to claim limited-edition 2024 Boopies! These adorable and festive collectibles are only available during this event, making them the perfect winter keepsake.

How to Join the Snowflake Hunt:

1. The hunt kicks off at 7 AM PT/SLT on Friday, December 6, 2024.
2. Visit the Winter Wonderland region and pick up your Snowflake Hunt HUD.
3. Locate hidden snowflakes throughout Winter Wonderland.
4. Collect snowflakes to unlock your exclusive Boopies!

The hunt runs throughout December, so there’s plenty of time to track down all the snowflakes. Happy hunting!

Second Life Swaginator Hunt for Winter

Are you ready for a winter adventure filled with even more prizes? The Second Life Swaginator Hunt returns with a seasonal spin, offering frosty fun and fantastic treasures!

How It Works

• The hunt kicks off at 7 AM PT/SLT on Friday, December 6, 2024.
• Start your journey: Pick up the free Swaginator HUD from one of the kiosks inworld.
• Solve the clues: Explore winter-themed locations and uncover unique prizes.
• Collect all the gifts: Complete the hunt to gather an exclusive bundle of seasonal items.

This exciting treasure hunt runs throughout the entire month of December, so bundle up and dive into the adventure. Hidden treasures await—don’t miss out!

Winter Swaginator Hunt

The Second Life Swaginator Hunt returns with a seasonal spin, offering frosty fun and fantastic treasures! Pick up the free Swaginator HUD from the kiosk, attach the HUD from your inventory and teleport to winter-themed locations, then complete the hunt by gathering an exclusive bundle of unique prizes and seasonal items. This exciting treasure hunt runs throughout the entire month of December, so bundle up and dive into the adventure. Hidden treasures await! Happy hunting!

More Info Teleport

Winter Attractions on the Destination Guide

If you’re looking for even more winter activities, there are already 100 snow-covered locations in the Winter Attractions category on the Destination Guide. We’re adding new regions daily, so if you have a spot you’d like to invite other Residents to explore, make sure to check out the submission guidelines and submit yours today!

Wishing a safe and happy holiday season to everyone in our virtual community! ❄️🎄🧑‍🎄

A complete list of all participating Shop & Hop Merchants and their direct slurls is below: 

Today we’re shining a spotlight on Carrie Tatsu, the visionary behind Zooby, whose innovative virtual pets and babies have enhanced the interactive experiences of Second Life Residents for over a decade.

How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it?
I joined SL in 2006. Wow, 19 years! I took a year off from my job in advertising to stay home with my real-life baby. He is 18 now. I was bored as a full-time stay-at-home mom and read an article about an innovative virtual world with user-generated content. I joined out of curiosity. I became hooked instantly and bought a prim cat. I felt a need to hold my cat when I logged in. My cat became part of who I was. I realized that the cat became part of my own virtual identity.

I then thought maybe I could make a better cat. I made my own white fluffy cat with prim flexies (old avatars will know what that is) that was a representation of my real-life cat named Spaceman. I then held my own cat while I wandered various sims. Random users would ask me where I purchased my cat and wanted to buy it. I then decided I should open up a virtual pet store and convinced my husband at the time to spend $300 USD on virtual land. Within a year I replaced my advertising salary and have not looked back.

Zooby Animesh baby clothing by Sweet Penelope through the Zooby Affiliate program

How and when did you get into content creation in Second Life?
I have been consistently making content in Second Life for roughly 19 years. It is my full-time job and I support my family with income earned from selling virtual goods. I took a break from 2014-2017 to make a mobile game. I came back to SL in 2017 when Animesh was in development. I knew I had to update my products, so I spent close to 2 years developing the Zooby Animesh Baby. I also wanted to be one of the first creators to focus on Animesh. I have a team that helps me develop products, and I focus on my strengths which include project management, art, design, 3d modeling, and painting/drawing. I hire and collaborate closely with software developers, 3d modelers, and animators.

Zooby Animesh baby clothing by Sweet Penelope through the Zooby Affiliate program

What tools do you use to craft your content? Are there specific resources you recommend to aspiring creators?
I have a master’s degree in fine art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I do not have a business degree. I learned the basics of C4d in 2017. I did not learn Blender until 2019-2020. I did not learn Substance Painter until 2022. I have always had the mindset that if you are dedicated to learning regardless of your age or circumstances, you can. It just takes time, patience, and dedication. I have always loved art and have been able to focus for long periods of time on a project. Substance Painter allows projection painting and that became a natural tool for me and helped me create the realistic fur for the Zooby Animesh Puppies. Blender is also a terrific resource because not only is it free, but there are endless tutorials online to learn and develop a skillset. I fell in love with 3d modeling. I also work with extremely talented people and give them freedom to develop their skills and foster their own creativity.

Click to watch the Zooby Animesh Yellow Lab + Wings! on Flickr

Tell us more about your latest project, the Zooby Animesh Puppies. What inspired the designs and features?
I have a deep understanding of the SL community and intuition on what people like to do here. Role-play is huge. Creating experiences you cannot otherwise have in real life is also essential. I wanted to make puppies that had advanced interactive functionality. The idea was to create a shared experience with the puppies so users could enjoy them together with friends and family. The puppies had to look as real as possible. There had to be an emotional connection so the owner of the puppy felt it was their puppy. It is not possible to do a project of this scale alone, so I have a wonderful team that helped make my vision become a reality. It has also taken years to build this team.

Here is a list of key features that set the puppies apart:

• Zooby Puppies can share accessories.
• Zooby Puppies include a care system where you can collect tokens and redeem them for puppy toys.
• Friends can be added to all Zooby Puppies to provide care and interact.
• All Zooby Puppies can be interacted with.
• Zooby Puppies can sleep in beds, poop/pee on puppy pads, relax on love pillows, chew on bones, snuggle with toys, and eat from food bowls.
• Zooby Animesh Babies can interact with Zooby Animesh Puppies.
• Zooby Puppies include over 100 animations.
• Post launch Zooby Puppies will be able to wear clothing. Texture Hud Kits will be provided to 3rd parties to create and sell clothing and accessory     textures for the puppies.
• Zooby Puppies can walk/run/fly while attached to you and while in travel mode they can be taken anywhere in SL.
• Zooby Puppies can be held and snuggled by their owner.
• Zooby Puppies can independently fly with wings. (Flying independently with wings includes new animations, is an add-on, and has a small fee.)
• Zooby Puppies can run or walk around your sim where you set the radius and location.
• Zooby Puppies include a Hud that allows you to rez any puppy you own and you can never lose a puppy.
• Zooby Puppies have carefully detailed, custom, realistic fur and will make your heart melt when you look at them.
• In the future, you will be able to walk them on a leash, and play ball/fetch with Zooby Puppies and they will bring you a newspaper.

Click to watch the the Zooby Animesh Husky + Baby Interactions on Flickr 

What are your future plans or upcoming projects that fans of Zooby can look forward to?
I plan to make many more puppy breeds and then move on to other pets. I plan to stick around SL for a few more years and see how things go!

From your perspective, how has Second Life evolved over the years, and what makes it an incredible experience for new users today?
I love the freedom to make anything I can think of. I was not a fan of working for an ad agency and was glad to quit. I also needed a creative outlet. SL has provided me the opportunity to make amazing products and watch them come to fruition. Having a connection to the community has been inspiring because I have seen people fall in love with ephemeral things and that is absolutely fascinating to me. I have met incredibly talented people here and we have worked together without any typical social barriers. Your gender, identity, race, religion, ethnicity, education, and upbringing do not matter. All that matters is the work. I love that for so many reasons. SL has allowed people to make beautiful things and given users the opportunity to explore and imagine a life they want to live.

Where can people see your work? Please share links to your store, websites, and social media accounts.
Here is a list of the social media links:

Discord  
Facebook
YouTube  
Instagram  
Twitter  
Zooby Store  
Zooby Group: secondlife:///app/group/fc43d42e-3ba3-b77c-cdf3-5ec035f7a230/about 

Thank you, Carrie, for pushing the boundaries in SL and enriching our virtual experiences with every new Zooby creation.

Each of our Spotlight interviews offers a unique glimpse into the diverse experiences and vibrant personalities that shape our virtual world. Explore more stories and get inspired by visiting our full collection of Spotlight posts.

Have A Great Week From All Of Us At Zoha Islands Fruit Islands And Nocturne