Tag: eBENTO Event

UPDATED AS OF DECEMBER 12th, 2021! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies—What Advent Calendars and 12 Days of Christmas Calendars I’ll Be Hitting This December (2021 Edition)

TWO IMPORTANT NOTICES, PLEASE READ:

I am taking a vacation from blogging for the entire month of December. Between the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the recently concluded faculty strike at my university, I am utterly exhausted, and I need to take a break. I hope that you understand. I will be back in January 2022!

I will *NOT* be doing a daily blogpost of that day’s best Advent Calendar/12 Days of Christmas Calendar gifts this year; instead, I will be posting a notecard with all of my picks of the best gifts for that day (with store SLURLs) to my new Second Life group called RyanSchultz.com Steals, Deals & Freebies. The group costs L$50 to join.

Photo by David-Olivier Gascon on Unsplash

December is truly the most wonderful time of the year for freebie fashionistas in Second Life! Many stores have either an Advent calendar or a 12 Days of Christmas calendar, where you can pick up a free gift each day.

This year, instead of wearing myself out trying to hit every single calendar on the grid, I will be focusing my energy on just a select few which, year after year, consistently offer the best gifts. Here are my top picks for 2021!

Please note that I will be updating this blogpost regularly between now and Christmas, so bookmark this post and check back often for any changes or updates.

Lists of Advent Calendars for 2021

TeleportHub.com’s Advent Calendar listing is already up
  • The 2021 Advent list by SL Hunts
  • The Advent Calendar Store List 2021 by TeleportHub.com
  • The December Advent Listing by Fabulously Free in SL, which is the biggest list
  • UPDATE Dec. 1st, 2021, 2:13 p.m.: The 2021 Seraphim Gift List (which includes Advent calendars, holiday sales, and stores with giftable vendors and transferable items) has just been published!
  • UPDATE Dec. 1st, 2021, 10:25 p.m.: The Second Life Syndicate is taking a different approach! Instead of a list, they are maintaining a Google spreadsheet, which you can access here. The group-edited spreadsheet already has over 180 rows!
  • UPDATE Dec. 2nd, 2021, 1:40 p.m.: The hardworking folks over at the Russian-language VKontakte group Second Life – FREE are posting a daily roundup of that day’s Advent calendar gifts, with pictures! And they are actually building a list of stores with links to pictures of each day’s Advent gift! This is probably THE easiest way to actually see each day’s calendar gifts without teleporting all over the grid, collecting and unpacking items! (Please remember to use the Russian-to-English translator in your Chrome browser to read the posts in this Russian-language community. You do not need to set up an account on VKontakte; just click on the “Not Now!” link every time a pop-up appears asking you to log in.)
  • UPDATE Dec. 2nd, 2021, 2:13 p.m.: Low Price Fashion in Second Life is a little-known Japanese blog which usually posts a daily roundup of that day’s Advent calendar gifts (again, you will need to use the automatic Japanese-to-English translator in your Chrome web browser to read the posts).
  • UPDATE Dec. 3rd, 2021, 12:29 p.m.: Advent Calendars 2021 With Previews Updated Daily is a truly heroic attempt by Snarkness of the SugarSL blog to cover as many Advent calendar gifts as possible each day. Thank you, Snarkness!
The December Advent Listing from FabFree has the biggest list of Advent and 12/15 Days of Christmas calendars on the grid!

Five Advent Calendars I Will Be Visiting Every Day

The Advent calendar at Essenz women’s footwear store
  • Firelight Hair has an Advent calendar running from December 1st to 24th (you do need to join the Firelight group for free). You have to pick up each gift on the day it is offered. The gifts are mostly women’s hairstyles, but there will also be a few male/unisex styles. All hair gifts usually come with a mini 3-colour HUD.
  • 7 Deadly s[K]ins has an advent tree in their store, with generous gifts every day from Dec. 1st through to the 31st! Please note that you do have to join the new store group, called SEVEN – [7DS], to pick up these gifts; this group is free to join until Jan. 1st, 2022! So you have no excuse this year not to pick up some new skin for your avatar.
  • Virtue offers an Advent calendar with beautiful clothing gifts for women. The emphasis here is on classic, modest fashion. You do need to join the Virtue group for L$25 to pick up these gifts; you also need to show up each day to pick up that day’s gift.
  • Entice offers Advent calendar gifts of womenswear from December 1st to 25th (you do have to join the Entice group for free). Again, you do have to show up each day to pick up that day’s gift.
  • Essenz has an Advent calendar where you can pick up a gift of high-quality women’s footwear every day (the Essenz group costs L$350 to join). If you missed a day, or are not a group member, you can pick up previous days’ gifts for only L$50 each.

Three 12 Days of Christmas Calendars I Will Be Visiting Every Day

The 12 Days of Christmas calendar at Baby Monkey starts December 14th, 2021

Most of these calendars start on Dec. 12th, 13th, or 14th, and run until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (and a few stores are having a 15 Days of Christmas calendar starting Dec. 10th, so be sure to check!).

  • The Baby Monkey 12 Days of Christmas calendar offers a free gift each day. All the gifts together form a complete, colour-coordinated capsule wardrobe. You do have to show up each day to pick up that day’s gift.
  • JUMO usually gives away lovely gifts of women’s apparel and jewelry from Dec. 12th-Dec. 24th, as well as on New Year’s Eve (the JUMO group is free to join). This is the place to pick up some beautiful ballgowns and costume jewelry!
  • UPDATE Dec. 12th, 2021: It would appear that the eBENTO Event has been cancelled for December, according to chatter in the eBento group in Second Life. So that means that there will also be no Advent calendar from them this year! 🙁
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Advent Calendar Gifts for December 23rd, 2020

Here’s my blogpost with links to four lists of Advent Calendars and 12 Days of Christmas Calendars, plus my “Top Ten” Calendars you should not miss in 2020!

And if you want to learn how to pick up a whopping 629 free Christmas presents on Christmas Day, here’s your plan of attack!

Do I have a haul of fabulous and fashionable freebies for you today!

Today’s gift from Wow Skins is this very attractive Dana Bakes on Mesh/system skin in the sandy skin tone (the Wow group costs L$199 to join):

Wow Skins: Dana in the sandy skin tone

Next up we have the Hope skin from 7 Deadly S[k]ins, in the cotton candy skin tone. Coincidentally, this skin looks very similar to today’s present from Wow Skins! The 7 Deadly S[k]ins group costs L$1,000 to join during the month of December.

7 Deadly S[k]ins: Hope skin in the cotton candy skin tone

From the Advent calendar at Essenz we receive these Barbados wedges in coral pink, which include a HUD to change the sole, the metal, the texture on the wedge, and the colour of the stripes and ankle strap. The Essenz group costs L$350 to join, or non-members can pay just L$50 each to pick up this and all previous Advent calendar gifts.

The final gift from the 12 Days of Christmas calendar at Baby Monkey are these suede wrap boots! You don’t need to join a group to snap up these beauties, simply pay the calendar L$1, and your Linden dollar will automatically be refunded. While you’re in store, why not pick up the previous 11 gifts as well! Altogether, they form a colour-coordinated capsule wardrobe in cream, pink, and chocolate brown!

The present from Mishmash Fusion is this cozy blue and grey snowflake sweater with a snowflake pattern, which comes in sizes to fit various women’s mesh bodies. The Mishmash Fusion group is free to join.

The next two pictures show you two gifts together: the beautiful Eowyn elven gown in opal green from Eclectic Stars (no group needed), paired with the Charlotte diadem, the gift from the Advent calendar at Vagrant today (the Vagrant group is free to join). You’re all set for your next fantasy roleplay!

The crown comes with a HUD to change both the colour of the gemstones, and the metal textures:

Today’s gift from Virtual Diva is this haute couture Carmin bodysuit, collar, and corset! The Virtual Diva group is free to join during Advent. As you usually have to pay a fee to join the Virtual Diva group, you might wish to remain in the group after Christmas to take pick up some high-fashion group gifts throughout the year!

Among today’s gift from the eBENTO shopping event is this red and silver Estrella ballgown from Elisea Carter (the eBENTO group is free to join):

Lastly, we have this drop-dead gorgeous emerald green ballgown, today’s present from Celestina’s Weddings (the Celestina’s group is free to join):

Happy freebie shopping!

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Advent Calendar Gifts for December 21st, 2020

Here’s my blogpost with links to four lists of Advent Calendars and 12 Days of Christmas Calendars, plus my “Top Ten” Calendars you should not miss in 2020!

I’m running a bit late today again, my apologies!

We’re getting down to crunch time in the last few days leading up to Christmas Day, and boy, do I ever have a haul of Christmas presents for you today! Today’s gift from Entice is this cute brown dress (the Entice group is free to join):

From the 7 Deadly S[k]ins Advent calendar comes the Hope skin in the darker, coconut skin tone, which come in Bakes an Mesh/system and Omega applier versions, plus a fatpack of the Gillian skins in five skin tones, also in BoM and Omega versions:

7 Deadly S[k]ins Hope skin in the coconut skin tone
7 Deadly S[k]ins Gillian skin in the oak skin tone

Remember that the 7 Deadly S[k]ins store group does cost L$1,000 to join during December, but it’s worth it. (Or, if you prefer, you can pick up all the previous days’ gifts for just L$25 each, using my daily Advent calendar blogposts as a guide.) Also, don’t forget that, unlike other store calendars, the 7 Deadly S[k]ins Advent calendar has gifts every single day, right up until New Year’s Day!

Here are two December 21st gifts from the Advent calendar at the eBENTO shopping event which I quite liked: the striking Zoey hoop earrings by Supernatural (which come in silver and gold versions, with two HUDs to change the gemstones to match any outfit!), and the eye-catching, crystal-adorned black plat pumps from Celestina’s Weddings. There is no cost to join the eBENTO group.

Below are two 12 Days of Christmas calendar gifts, worn together: the fur coat and hat are from the calendar at No Shot, and the thigh-high laced leather boots are today’s gift from the Baby Monkey calendar. You do not need to join any group to pick up these gits, and if you prefer, you can wait until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and pick up all the presents at one time! I just love it when Second Life stores do not force me to log in every day to pick up that day’s item. (I mean, it’s fun, but by this stage, it’s rather wearisome.)

The gift from the Advent calendar at Vagrant is this red top (the Vagrant group is free to join):

The gift from Justice is a relative rarity from an SL Advent calendar: a Christmas-themed item of apparel that is not bright red or green! This shoulder-baring Skye shirt with the tied sleeves comes in this muted Christmas ornament pattern, which I find a very refreshing change. The Justice group is free to join.

Today’s gift from the 12 Days of Christmas calendar at JUMO is this stunning Arden gown in red (the JUMO group is free to join):

Finally, these last two freebies are not Advent calendar gifts, but the free Christmas gifts from my friend Solas NaGealai of BlueMoon Enterprise are so wonderful that I had to add them to this post! You will have to join the Blue Moon group for free to pick up these group gifts.

The women’s present is this gorgeous red and gold ballgown, sure to turn heads at your next Christmas gala!

And the men’s gift is the red and gold Mouse King outfit, straight out of the classic E.T.A. Hoffmann tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which includes the crown, cape, and even the boots! You can wear this outfit with or without the optional mouse head.

Happy freebie shopping!

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Advent Calendar Gifts for December 16th, 2020

Here’s my blogpost with links to four lists of Advent Calendars and 12 Days of Christmas Calendars, plus my “Top Ten” Calendars you should not miss in 2020!

Baby Monkey‘s 12 Days of Christmas calendar gift today are these glossy platform pumps, which come with a three-colour HUD (you do not need to join any group to use this calendar, just pay L$1 and it will be automatically refunded). Once again, I remind you that Baby Monkey is one of those calendars that allows you to visit between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day to pick up all the gifts at once, if you prefer! It saves on all that teleporting during the busy holiday season, thereby cutting down on silicon emissions 😉

Among today’s gifts from the eBENTO shopping event is this white bodysuit by ADD, which includes the optional gold waist chain you see here (the eBENTO group is free to join).

Here we have two gifts from Entice: the teal pants are the December 16th Advent calendar gift (the Entice group is free to join), and the peach crop top is a free gift in the store if you join the Maitreya Gifts, Sales & News group (the MGSN group is free to join). Here’s what the panel looks like in the store; it’s just to the left of the Advent calendar display as you enter.

From Virtue we get the asymmetrical Vivian dress in a bold purple floral pattern (the Virtue group is free to join):

Today’s version of the Hope Bakes on Mesh skin from 7 Deadly S[k]ins is in a slightly darker skin tone called chestnut (the 7 Deadly S[k]ins group costs L$1,000 to join during the month of December, and you can purchase the previous days’ Advent calendar gifts from the store for L$25 each).

Whereas today’s gift from Wow Skins is the Miriam Bakes on Mesh skin in the sandy skin tone (the Wow group costs L$199 to join):

I get a young Mia Farrow vibe from this last picture, don’t you? By the way, last I checked, Firestorm is still giving away a free fatpack of this unisex Jamie hairstyle by Firelight Hair at this SLURL, but I don’t know for how long, so if you like it, don’t wait! This hair comes in rigged and unrigged versions, but I usually use the unrigged version for short hairstyles like this because then you can resize it to your heart’s content. I have tested it and it works well on most male and female mesh heads. Here’s what it looks like on the EXMACHINA Evolve full-body male mesh avatar:

Happy freebie shopping!