Putting in the Time

There are also rep-grind pets. And some of these are ah-mazing. Pengu might be the cutest pet in the history of the game. All it takes is becoming exulted with some Walruses...err... The Kalu'ak. A hilarious race of walrus-like fishermen who are one of those fringe groups of characters who are affected by all the chaos we seem to be creating around them, but who don't pose a threat to us so maybe don't need our attention.

Another group that offers exclusive pets is The Oracles who upon reaching revered with will let you buy one Mysterious Egg at a time which has the chance to hatch into several pets after a three day cool-down.

I personally decided to follow the Kalu'ak quest chain before I found out about the pet. Now that I know about Pengu, my hearthstone is set to a tiny tiny hut by the icy waters of Dragonblight. Sorry there's not a screenshot of the little guy, but I'm still approximately six days away from getting there. In plenty of time for the Holidays.

This pet is tradable, which means only I have to do the grinding, and I can give the cutest pet ever to anyone I want to. Plus, you can use the Armory to check and see who a person is exalted with. If they're not exalted with the specific faction you're grinding for, chances are they don't have that pet yet.

Seriously though, who wouldn't want to do these dailies?

Gnomes Need Not Apply

Obviously I'm not planning on taking my Gnome or Draenei into Orgrimmar to go shopping for the Black Kingsnake pet any time soon. There are pets sold in almost every capitol city, making it difficult for Alliance or Horde characters to collect these pets the easy way. Fortunately, most of these side specific pets wind up at the Auction House for just a couple of gold a piece.

However, there are three race-specific pets, all with spotty availability thanks to the "supply of 1" limit. Why a Worgen could better care for a Gilnean Raven than I could is beyond me. Stupid Will Larsons with your exclusivity!

Sell me a Raven. I see it. Right there.

Let alone a Shore Crawler. It's a crab for goodness sakes. Those things are almost indestructible. Maybe that's why Goblins get them? Then there's the Jade Crane Chick which is cute enough to almost make me want to start a Pandaren.

If you are any of these races, and are looking for a gift for a pet-collector who isn't, think about tracking down the pet that matches your race. The rate of people who have them is super low, and I'm sure that's because not everyone wants to make alts just for one pet. So if your little Gnome or Undead friend loves her pets, consider the Raven.

Crazy Cats and the Armory

Assuming anyone reading this also has the WoW Armory app, it's a great way to snoop. Sadly you can't check the pet list of a fellow guild member, but a handful of achievements show progress that people are having with pets making it an easy way to see some of the pets they're missing.

Crazy Cat Lady/Man is one of the easiest to both access, and gather missing pets from. Donni Anthania sells five of the cats available for this pet and she's found in Elwynn Forest. Each is only 40 silver (before discounts) so they're super cheap. Dealer Rashaad sells the Siamese Cat if you can get to Netherstorm, Breanni in Dalaran sells the Calico Cat, and Michelle De Rum in Winterspring sells the Winterspring Cub (though I will say the last two are quite a bit higher in price...50 gold).

If you're shopping for a cat lover, pet collector, or someone who likes a lot of titles, this is a good place to start.

Lil' Smoky and Other Crafted Pets

Another handy aspect of the Armory and information readily available in game about your guildies are their professions (hit "J" and you can sort your guild by profession). I personally squealed out loud when my guild master sent me the Sapphire Cub that he made as a level 600 jewel crafter. I don't have any alts with JC, so unless I was ready to shell out the 1,000 plus gold at the Auction House, there was no way I could get one of these little gems without someone making it for me.

Enchanting, Engineering, Jewelcrafting, Inscription, and Tailoring professions all have crafted pets that can be made and gifted. Fishing and Archeology do as well. If you have a friend who doesn't have one of these professions, crafting a pet for them is a really good way to go since they probably don't have that particular pet unless they're willing to pay at the AH.

I personally made a half dozen Lil' Smoky for a handful of friends since I have an engineer. The convenient thing about this was that an engineer can make one with only a skill level of 205. The schematic drops in the Gnomeregan instance with a fairly high drop rate (4% chance on three bosses). It's a low level instance run so run it solo or with someone who has no need for the pattern. Plus, making them is simple and only requires low level materials.

So if you have one of the listed professions, just cross check your gift recipient with their professions and skill levels, and you can craft them a lovely* hand-made present they'll cherish.

Possible craft able pets include (but totally are not limited to...mainly because there are about 15 different Engineering pets to make):

Enchanting: Enchanted Lantern and Magic Lamp

Engineering: De-Weaponized Mechanical Companion, Pet Bombling, and Mechanical Pandaren Dragonling.

Inscription: Chi-Ji Kite and Yu'lon Kite

Jewelcrafting: Jade Owl and Sapphire Cub

Tailoring: Imperial Moth and Imperial Silkworm.

*Lil' Smoky is not "lovely." He's loud, leaky, and billows pollution constantly. So maybe not a great choice for a Night Elf.

Family Photos and Holiday Garb

Our guild is having an in game party for Winter's Veil. We actually meet up to party once a month at the Darkmoon Faire where I always bring a couple stack of Deviate Delight (Deviate Fish is farmable in Wailing Caverns, and so worth the fishing time) so anyone who wants can turn into a pirate or a ninja because dressing up is fun and silly. I have decided, though my fellow guild members don't know it yet, that I'm going to make them pose for a classic family photo...err...screenshot.

I have a poorly neglected level 20 alt who happens to be a tailor. But, family photos are not NEARLY as hilarious if people don't have matching outfits. So I logged onto her for the first time in months, and looked to see what I could make.

Turns out there are a surprising number of outfits that are red, green, and white that a tailor under level 100 can create.

So I made several of the following, and plan on wrapping them up, handing them out, then pouting until all the epic gear has been replaced by extremely low level robes and shirts. You know, for the photo.

See how cute she looks in her red robe?

Below is a list of really low level tailoring patterns, all taught by a friendly trainer near you, that will spice up any holiday party:

For the ladies:
Red Linen Robe
Woolen White Dress

For the gentlemen:
Green Linen Shirt
Stylish Red Shirt
Green Woolen Vest
Formal White Shirt

Poor "Plucky"

I haven't found a sneaky way to confirm a guild member's need for the Ancona Chicken, but based on the fact that obtaining one involves chasing a flock of grey chickens around in circles for a minimum of one solid minute on one particular cliff in Thousand Needles, I'm guessing most of them don't have one.

You just have to find the spot, and chase the darn chicken until you catch up to him, and he turns into some odd, tortured man who sells chickens for no apparent reason other than because most of the time he, himself, is a chicken. His name is "Plucky" Johnson. Oh yeah, and he's being shot at by a crazy guy.

At only 90 silver (with discounts) and with an unlimited supply, the Ancona Chicken is an easy stocking stuffer to nab up...I really wish there were stockings to stuff in game...if there are, please let me know.

Also, turns out Ancona Chicken is a specific breed of chicken...they're kinda pretty. And I'm guessing delicious.