Hi Everyone,

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We’ve just had Christmas, and we are in the final days of 2025. It has been a busy year for me. I published the second book in my Sapien Loop series in January, and I published my Sapien Loop short stories in October.

I have been considerably less active on my @spectrumecons account. It has been mostly Actifit reports, quizzes, and challenges with a few of my economics posts sprinkled here and there. I posted all of my short stories on my @captainhive account. These posts have become the material I use for my Sapien Loop quizzes on my @spectrumecons account.

An annoying downside to this year has been my more frequent sickness and injured leg. The good news is I’m feeling much better now, and I look forward to a healthier 2026.

The crypto market has been a little disappointing considering 2025 was supposed to be a bull market year. Bitcoin could end the year at a slightly lower price than it started at. For Hive, it was another bear year, but it might be finally starting to heat up as the year ends. Based on the four-year cycle, 2026 is supposed to be a bear market year for crypto. This time could be different. The market hasn’t crashed because it overheated. Since the gains have been minimal or not at all, I don’t think we are going to see a huge sell-off quite yet.

I might say it has been an up-and-down year, but overall I’m quite happy and content.

Before I begin this contest, I would like to share a couple of Christmas songs and music videos from the UK. As many of you would be aware by now, the UK is in economic and social turmoil. I would argue that it’s on the verge of collapse; it’s been hanging by a thread for some time. The songs I’m sharing make fun of the current situation and are good for a laugh at Christmas. I hope you enjoy them.

Welcome to the 2025 Christmas Contest!

Now, onto the Christmas Contest.

The Christmas Contest is about giving and sharing with fellow participants. Participants can win a little by helping other participants win the contest. However, the most direct route to winning the contest is by acting like the Grinch. This involves sabotaging other participants so that they cannot win. Beware! Being mean has consequences.

How to Play?

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The Christmas Contest involves 3 simple steps.

1. Choose a present for yourself.
2. Choose a present for the participant who went immediately before you.
3. Choose a present for the participant who comes immediately after you.

As there are no participants before the first participant, the first participant gives a present to the last participant to enter (determined once the contest has closed). As there are no participants after the last participant, the last participant gives a present to the first participant. For example, if the contest has six participants, presents are given out as follows.

• The first participant gives a present to the sixth (last) participant and the second participant.
• The second participant gives a present to the first participant and the third participant.
• The third participant gives a present to the second participant and the fourth participant.
• The fourth participant gives a present to the third participant and the fifth participant.
• The fifth participant gives a present to the fourth participant and the sixth participant.
• The sixth participant gives a present to the fifth participant and the first participant.

All participants should receive 3 presents.

All the information you need to know to play the game is provided in the question; i.e., no external research is required.

All entries must be made in the comments section of this post.

Each account is only permitted one entry.

The contest ends with one multiple-choice question based on my Sapien Loop books. This will affect the value of presents given to other participants.

Objectives of the Game

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This contest has two objectives. The first objective is to receive the highest value of presents (one from yourself and two from two other participants). The second objective is to give the highest value of presents (one to yourself and two to two other participants). These objectives are measured separately; thus, two participants can win Hive Power. The usual contest tie-breaker rules apply. If there is a tie, the participant who entered first wins.

Contest Assumptions

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• There are 12 boxes that may contain presents.
• Each box may contain a present worth a stated value, or the box might be empty; therefore, it has no value.
• Each box is assigned a probability that the present will be of the stated value.
• A participant can give and receive the same present more than once (e.g., Participant 4 could give themselves Present 2 as well as to Participants 3 and 5).

What Information Is Provided?

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• The values of presents that might be in each box
• The probability that the box contains the present of the value stated.

How Are the Results of the Game Determined?

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A Microsoft Excel Model is used to determine if the presents are in the boxes. The model will calculate each participant’s value of presents and the value of presents given away, as well as determine the winners. The results post will contain a video generating the above results. The winners will be announced in both the video and written post.

Contest Prizes

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The participant with the highest total value of presents received will win 40 Hive Power. The participant who gave away the highest total value of presents will win 20 Hive Power. Hive will be directly powered up to the winners’ accounts. The first 12 entries will be given upvotes.

Let the Contest Begin!

Participants need to choose three presents. One for themselves, one for the participant who went immediately before them, and one for the participant who entered immediately after them. The presents are as follows:

Presents

The table below contains the possible value of the presents inside the above boxes and the probability that these presents are worth this stated value. If they are not worth the stated value, they are worth nothing (i.e., the box is empty).

Present	Possible Value of Presents	Probability
1	320	50%
2	440	80%
3	600	20%
4	100	90%
5	20	50%
6	800	10%
7	400	85%
8	80	95%
9	30	10%
10	200	70%
11	260	60%
12	500	75%

Use this information to decide which presents you choose.

Bonus Question

For this Christmas Contest, I have added one question based on my Sapien Loop books. If a participant answers this question correctly. The value of presents given away to the two other participants will double.

What was the name of Hermon’s mother?

a) Erin
b) Portia
c) Phallia
d) Patricia
e) Tarrina

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Entry Format

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For the Christmas Contest, I expect to see entries made in the following format:

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Present for myself:
Present for the participant before me:
Present for the participant after me:
Answer to question:

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Example of Entry

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Present for myself: 4
Present for the participant before me: 2
Present for the participant after me: 6
Answer to question: e

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The closing date and time for this contest is 6 PM Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on 07/01/2026. Responses after this time will not be accepted. The winners will be announced in the results post along with the video revealing which boxes contain presents. I hope everyone has fun and enjoys this year’s Christmas Contest.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Source: Grok4.0

Have a spectacular Christmas and an amazing New Year.

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The Sapien Loop Series

I am writing a trilogy of books titled Sapien Loop. The first in the series is Sapien Loop: End of an Era and the second is Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time. I published both of these books as ebooks on Amazon, and I have posted completed chapters to my @captainhive account. I anticipate publishing the third book in early 2027. I expect to title this book Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide. In 2025, I plan to write short stories about some of the characters and their adventures. I will post these to my @captainhive over the course of the year.

Brief Summary of Sapien Loop: End of an Era

This story is based on the fictional planet Sapia and its sole country, Sapey. Sapey is portrayed as a form of utopia for all its citizens. No poverty. No war. Almost no crime. Opportunities for all.

This was enough for most citizens, but not all. In one of the small regions, some of the citizens had become discontent. They felt something important was missing in their lives. Their discontent did not go unnoticed. Some of the Sapey elite wanted to weaponise this discontent to gain more power. This created more chaos than they anticipated. This led to further widespread social unrest.

On top of the chaos, ambition and greed provoked another enemy. This enemy was on a mission to settle both new and old scores.

Brief Summary of Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time

This story is based six years after the original story. The Downs Region is still suffering from a serious health crisis caused by the contaminated water. The main characters are desperately trying to find a cure for the illness that has been caused by the water.

One of the main characters has discovered frozen humanoids in hidden chambers. It appears they have been frozen for a long time. These chambers connect to a vast network of tunnels. While exploring the tunnels, one of the frozen humanoids disappears. It appears he has been stolen.

The story takes a step back in time to tell the story of the frozen humanoids. How and why were they frozen? This part of the story also explains the fall of ancient Sapey and the birth of the Sapiens. Can those from the past be able to coexist with those from the present?

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