Prepare yourself, the UGC League Winter Season is about to start! Join the thousands of teams that played last season for some competitive TF2 action! The first week of matches starts January 23rd for Highlander, January 25th for 6v6 and January 27th for 4v4.

UGC has divisions across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Players from any of these regions are encouraged to test their skill and join the fun! Remember, January 31st is the sign up deadline. Visit the UGC website for more information.

In the classic Smissmas story "The Gift of the Magi", a girl sells all of her hair to a hair warehouse to buy her boyfriend a watch chain, but in a shocking twist, he looks at his watch and remembers she's bald and it's time to break up with her. That's when the Magi show up, and it is a BLOODBATH.

The point is, giving people gifts can bite you in the ass. Too much potential for twist endings. So this Smissmas, why not sit back, scroll down, and leave the gift-giving to us.

New Festivizer Weapons

The Festivizer now has more weapons it can festivize, including the Fire Axe, The Jag, The Kritzkrieg, Pistol, The Quick-Fix, Natascha, The Sandman, The Spy-cicle, Kukri, Shovel and The Scottish Resistance.

New Winter-Themed Community Cosmetics

We're shipping 17 new community cosmetics in the limited-time keyless Winter 2016 Cosmetic Case. Plus, The Festivizer can now be found as a bonus drop when opening the Winter 2016 Cosmetic Case.

New Taunts

Two new community taunts—The Scotsmann's Stagger and The Didgeridrongo—and one new Valve taunt, The Table Tantrum, are now available in the Mann Co. Store.

Casual Match Improvements

At the end of a Casual match, players will now be automatically formed into a new match with the same players and teams. You'll also get to vote on which map the new match will take place on.

New Autobalancing System

We're introducing a new autobalance system for Casual Matches and community servers that asks for volunteers to switch sides. Casual matches will reward you for switching teams by giving you the chance to earn bonus XP!

Big Sale in the Mann Co. Store

It wouldn't be Smissmas without the Spirit of Practically Giving. Look for 20%-75% off selected unlocked cosmetic crates, taunts, and tools in the Mann Co. Store through January 11th, 2017.

And last but not least... Stocking stuffers for everyone! Merry Smissmas! See you in 2017!

The Yogscast Jingle Jam is back, and as always, all proceeds go to charity. You give funds to excellent causes, and they give you fun in the form of games and unique Team Fortress 2 items. Contribute $30 or more to immediately receive a host of awesome games, and more revealed EVERY DAY throughout December!

They have already raised more than $1,000,000, so head on over and donate while supplies last - and help make the world a better place!

LuckyLukeTF2 is back with more impressive TF2 action from Insomnia 58, the biggest TF2 tournament in the world. With teams from America, Australia and Europe, watch all the soldier-juggling, medic-gibbing action you want to relive from Insomnia 58 above or here.

If you live in a place unlucky enough to have seasons, the weather's probably starting to turn into what meteorologists call "garbage," and like all of us, you're starting to think about a nice vacation to the tropics. And if you're also like us, you then start remembering how all those places have filthy water and enormous spiders and those weird little fish that crawl up your–anyway, the point is you're going nowhere.

So instead, we’re bringing the tropics to you, with a new tropical jungle-themed map we're working on! And we'd love the talented folks in the Workshop to join us!

For those of you already developing for existing community themes, good news: There's a lot you've already developed that we think will fit in perfectly with the tropical theme.

For the rest of you Workshop creators, consider this a call to action for all things tropical over the next few months: particles, maps, items and anything else. If you've got something tropical in mind, get cracking, because we'd love to see it. Don't forget to upvote your favorites in the Workshop!

Remember how in 2015 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials came out, and we all agreed as a planet that we'd basically solved movies forever and never had to watch or make another one again? Well, it might finally be time to re-open the debate. Presenting your 2016 Saxxy Award winners.

So, our season has finally come to a close. We learned a lot as a team, and it was very fun. Though, I’ve learned quite a lot as a team leader as well. Here’s my advice as to what you should do. For one, always deal with toxicity in comms and other communication issues as openly and as soon as possible. This can always affect team reputation, gameplay, and relations. […]