Breakfast Topic: What will you do over the holiday season?
by Andrew Ross 
Nov 25th 2011 at 8:00AM
I'm sure we've all heard or seen by now that summer and holiday breaks can be hard on the WoW playerbase. With school semesters wrapping up, many of us are returning back to our homes, jobs, and less World of Warcraft. I know some people will stick around and raid or hit up Rated Battlegrounds till their eyes bleed, but some people are heading off to other things.
I've had several guildies take breaks for a week or two with some pretty fun stories. Someone took part in a bass fishing tournament and did quite well, but sadly the tournament is for catch and release, so no one got to taste the winners. One of my guildmates returned to Korea for a bit and came back quite refreshed, ready to jump back into raiding and world PvP. Another guildmate came back from a rather short trip with an epic story involving alcohol, fireworks, and getting banned from a campsite.
Will you be doing anything interesting while away from WoW this holiday season? Will you meet a guildmate? Have a fling with another game? Maybe got some extra work done so you can pitch in more when people came back from their school breaks?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Revnah Nov 25th 2011 8:05AM
I won't be away from WoW :-) I'm pagan and celebrate the Winter Solstice with my folks; and after that, because I have the days from Christmas to New Year's off work (hurray!) I'll play a lot of WoW. I have plenty of time because most of my friends will be off for Christmas doing family stuff. I love that time of the year, it gives me time for myself and all the things I like to do best. By New Year's, friends will resurface and we'll get up to some partying.
2nd of January it's back to work... But let's not talk about that!
MattKrotzer Nov 25th 2011 8:09AM
I just really hope the holidays don't wreck my raid team with 4.3 coming soon...
raingod Nov 25th 2011 8:34AM
Yeah, God forbid people should enjoy the holidays when there's raiding to be done. *eyeroll*
MattKrotzer Nov 25th 2011 8:43AM
First off, I meant more permanent losses. Happens every year. People get new games for the holidays and vanish for weeks, months or altogether.
Second, I'm in a progression guild, and my team's already the "second tier" raiding group in my guild, so if there's shortfalls in attendance, my roster'll get picked at first, meaning I sit on my ass, since the other group's tanks won't miss a raid.
My fun when I have time off is raiding. Why is it wrong if that's how I want to spend my holiday time off? Just because it's not your cup of tea doesn't mean you have to be a dick about it.
Mortenebra Nov 25th 2011 9:25AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0la5DBtOVNI
iadamson Nov 25th 2011 2:33PM
Spending time with the gf, exchanging presents, eatting big Christmas dinners.
Bowdaar Nov 25th 2011 8:19AM
I'm playing and loving Skyrim (killed my 1st dragon yesterday, sooo exciting!), and expect to have seen most of its content by the time SWTOR arrives.
razion Nov 25th 2011 8:22AM
Park myself on the couch that faces the large window at the front of the house with my laptop, and just watch the seasons change. From fall to winter, from autumn leaves to snow. Nothing fancy, nothing grand, but it's peaceful and I tend to enjoy it. Night-time tends to be pretty special, because the darkness of night being lit up by the Xmas tree tends to make the night feel beautiful. And I would be remiss if I didn't at least try to fall asleep next to the tree during this time of year.
paulmewis Nov 25th 2011 8:40AM
Eat beef. And yorkshire puddings, with roasted parsnips.
Shoikler Nov 25th 2011 8:56AM
Andrew, you shouldn't fling games around during the holidays. You'll put your eye out.
jonny Nov 25th 2011 10:48AM
i am going to get some antidepressants, join a gym, get a tattoo and genital peircing, cancel my subscription, and start seeing a therapist for my chronic depression.
Muse Nov 25th 2011 9:02AM
Same as I do every winter holiday: shovel snow, shovel some more snow, and then for a change, I'll shovel some snow.
razion Nov 25th 2011 9:28AM
Man, you sound like you could use a break. May I suggest some snow shoveling to take your mind off it?
Caylynn Nov 25th 2011 9:55AM
I'm hoping for minimal snow this year! It's really hit-or-miss in the area where I live as to whether we'll have a green Christmas or not. Despite popular myth, not all of Canada gets inundated with snow and this Canadian is very happy when the snow stays away! ;)
ravyncat Nov 25th 2011 9:28AM
The Holidays are slower for guild events, but really they have been since SKYRIM came out. That game has eaten several guildies! But I'm sure it will spit them back out again once they finish it.
Personally, I play more WoW over the holidays because I have a little more time to myself. I love all the holiday decorations and opening presents on every baby alt.
This year I am looking forward to getting killed while caroling in a gaudy holiday sweater. It will be fun.
Mortenebra Nov 25th 2011 9:36AM
This holiday season, I'm trying to write a short story for my guild. It's all silly, funny goodness because, man, I really love these people. I seriously do. But that's only if I have time to do that in between keeping up with the toddler, doing holiday shopping, TONS of baking, prepping stuff to ship back to California (where my family is), volunteering for the Salvation Army... in addition all of the regular stuff I do during the other eleven months of the year. lol
Oh yeah, not to mention 4.3 and, possibly, SW:TOR. /wipes forehead :D
jealouspirate Nov 25th 2011 9:39AM
Family and friends, food, books, music. No gaming.
Abbadon Nov 25th 2011 9:55AM
This about sums it up for me, too. Only change is no music, and limited gaming. Definitely a time to focus on family.
Caylynn Nov 25th 2011 9:53AM
My husband just returned from Afghanistan at the beginning of November, so we'll be spending lots of time together. I'm a Masters student, so have the Christmas break off, and he has a couple of weeks leave over Christmas as well.
Some of that time will be spent together in WoW. We're levelling two dwarfs together - he's playing a warrior and I'm playing a hunter. A real departure for me, since up until now I have only played hybrids who can heal.
I'll be taking one day to get my Zumba license over the holidays. I'm a certified group fitness instructor, and the gym where I teach is adding more Zumba classes to the schedule, so I'm getting my Zumba license so I can teach that format.
DarkWalker Nov 25th 2011 10:04AM
Where it regards WoW, I'll be waiting for any tidbit of information on MoP. I've already decided to completely skip Cataclysm, and whether or not I return to WoW depends on when MoP will be released (the sooner, the better the chances of me returning) and whether it looks like I will be pleased by it (up to now, I really liked most of what I've read about MoP, but before Cataclysm's launch it was the same; I expected to love Cata, and ended hating it).
Otherwise, a little time with the family, working on the backlog of games I got on GOG, enjoying my free copy of Arkham City, etc.