Fresh from my inbox comes news of what's going to be happening in Tabula Rasa for the holidays:

Season's Greetings, Soldiers! Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa is Home for the Holidays

December is a busy month for the AFS in Tabula Rasa! Recruits have a lot to look forward to over the holidays, with contests, in-game events, and lots of action. Those who have yet to join the fight against the dreaded Bane will be able to enlist in an exclusive free trial on December 13! Details to come.

During the week of December 17, players will enjoy festive holiday items in the next update, including Holiday hats, Holiday Trees and an exclusive holiday emote. Between December 21 and January 1, those players participating on the Public Test Server for more than two consecutive hours will receive 10 bonus black armor dye kits on the live servers and have a chance to win prizes such as t-shirts, strategy guides and posters signed by the development team.

In-game events will also be taking place over the holidays. On December 21 there will be a memorial service hosted by TabulaRasaRoleplayers in honor of Defeat of Earth Day (DE Day), with special appearances by Sarah Morrison and General British. On December 22, known as Resurgence Day, players will have the opportunity to defend Foreas base as the Bane try take it back from the AFS.

For more details on the exclusive trial and other events, stay tuned to the official Tabula Rasa site at http://www.rgtr.com/.

10 bonus black armor dye kits. Neat. You know what came with the Collector's Edition? "Spec Ops" paint. How many Spec Ops units do you know that dress like clowns? Because that's what the special paint from the CE looks like. Four bright-ass, garish, neon colors guaranteed to make you stand out in the middle of any battlefield. Which is exactly what Spec Ops loves to do. Meh, I think my blood sugar is low, I need some minty dark chocolate. Oh, I will be logging on to the PTS. I'm not going to turn down black paint.