Christmas ended a little over a week ago, but we're still feeling the effects of the holiday chaos. Decorations need to be put away, leftovers need to be eaten, and thank-you cards need writing. But it's still close enough that we can show off our gifts to our friends, and that's exactly what we're about to do.

For December's Bitmob Writing Challenge, we held a "Secret Santa" drawing and had Bitmobbers offer gifts of topics to write articles on. I took all these topics, randomized them, and distributed them to the participants to see what they could bring to them. The response was overwhelming, and the fruits of that labor can be found below.

Why do games based on movies suck so bad?
By Danny Concepcion

Danny had to answer the age-old question of why games based on movies end up being lousy. In order to accomplish this, he cites one of the few examples of a good movie-based title, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, and compares it to the sea of crap you normally see. He also goes on to point out the difference between the two mediums as a big obstacle, and explains there's little motivation to make the games better. That's a cheerful conclusion if I've ever heard one!

Click through for more entries.

How would Marcus Fenix spend Christmas Day?
By Eamon Droko

I've always been a proponent of both creative pieces that aren't entirely serious and professional game fan fiction (within reason), so I was pleased to see that Eamon chose to handle this topic. While the entire article is nothing more than a dialogue exchange between the members of Delta Squad. It should be said that I think he nails the essence of Cole Train perfectly.

Nintendo needs to share the love
By Elizabeth Henges

Elizabeth had perhaps the vaguest topic of them all: rage. She decided to write about her anger at not seeing many Nintendo games make it over to the United States, detailing reasons why the Big N should fix that. While I wouldn't exactly call her article the embodiment of fury, it is well-reasoned and clear, and that's worlds better in my book.

How Tetris made the gamer I am today
By Casey Scheld

Casey was asked to write about the holiday game that meant the most to him, and that was Tetris. Not only was this article a very personal one, but it also happened to detail how Tetris made Casey a gamer. You really can't ask for more than that in a Bitmob article, can you?

How my first video-game experience opened up my young mind
By Chris Skinner

Similarly, Chris wrote about his first gaming memory, which differs from most here given the fact that the source was the gaming computer Amiga, something more popular in the U.K. than here in the U.S. Watching his dad play Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 led to Chris discovering Sonic the Hedgehog, and the rest is history. Chris wrote a very relatable story, because while most of our own gamer origins feature somewhat different details, most evolved in a similar fashion -- from childhood.

How Gears of War saved my life
By Tristan Damen

Tristan got a fairly simple topic: Write about the game he's sunk the most time into this generation. But his take on the seemingly straightforward topic becomes one of the most personal articles of the bunch. He credits Gears of War with saving him from the shackles of alcoholism and refocusing his efforts in school. With all the negative stereotypes surrounding our pastime, it's nice to see a game being used for the benefit of someone's well being.

What games can learn from comic books
By Chase Koeneke

Chase was lucky enough to receive a topic that spoke to his interests, as he had to write about the relationship between video games and comics. What he ends up positing is how the two industries are different and how games should leverage this fact. He also encapsulates the entire history of comics into a very small space, which someone who isn't terribly familiar with the comic industry will appreciate.

Are content creation tools like those found in LittleBigPlanet everyone's cup of tea?
By Peter Livingston

Peter found himself examining content creation tools and their general playability in the face of all kinds of different gamers. His conclusion? They're a great inclusion that should be praised for introducing a new element to familiar game types. In the end, they don't have to appeal to everyone; some people play games, and some people make them.

Nintendo achievement system needs to emerge...or has it already?
By Edward Varnell

Edward was tasked with examining Nintendo's reluctance to put into place an achievement system like its competitors, but his conclusion criticizes the point of achievements themselves. Instead of suggesting ways to implement a Nintendo Achievement System, Edward praises Club Nintendo as an alternative way of encouraging people to buy Nintendo products. It's an interesting argument when you try to imagine things through the Nintendo design philosophy.

So that's it -- December's Writing Challenge was a smashing success! If I missed your article, please tell me so in the comments. Please check out each and every one of these fine articles, and keep an eye out for January's challenge. And be sure to look for one more component to the Secret Santa exercise, as we're not quite done with it.