What is the true meaning of Australian Christmas? Some say it is a hamfisted attempt by the Australian government to turn a notorious felon into a beloved folk hero. Others say it's a calculated ploy by the novelty munitions industry to sell guns that shoot mistletoe.

And then there are those who look past all that, and maintain that it is a time to reconnect with friends and loved ones, and to be thankful for the blessings in our lives.

And then there are those who are still licking their emotional wounds from all the reconnecting with friends and loved ones they did at Thanksgiving, and realize that the true true meaning of Australian Christmas is zero human contact, eating candy, and getting as many presents as possible.

And those people are correct—that is the true meaning of Australian Christmas. We looked it up.

But don't take our word for it. Ask the Engineer.

The second six on six newbie mix cup is about to be begin with the special moniker, Christmas Cup. The rules are simple; its a double knockout tournament where teams are comprised of five individuals and one experienced mentor, who will then take part in a week long tournament with some great christmas prizes.

No prior TF2 experience is required, although they reccomend you take part in a few matches beforehand to get a feel for it. These can be joined via their Steam community. You can also seek out a mentor via the same source.

To sign up, or see additional rules, visit their Steam community group.

Updates to Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include: Source Engine Changes (TF2, DoD:S, HL2:DM)

• Added video options UI for Windows Vista / Windows 7 DirectX extensions. Disabling the extensions will increase memory usage, but can improve compatibility with video drivers.

Team Fortress 2

• Fixed wearable gibs spawning outside of the map
• Fixed some missing strings for the Backwards Ballcap
• Updated these items so they can be crafted and traded
  • The Dr. Whoa
  • The Dashin' Hashshashin
  • The Sharp Dresser
  • The Point and Shoot
  • The War Head
• Updated the localization files

The Lithuania Pro v Pub six on nine event has wrapped up and has a few demos and videos to share. VanillaTV has the details along with TF2.lt.

• Badlands
• Badlands Continued
• Badwater

Updates to Team Fortress 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

• Fixed the "Checkout Unavailable" error preventing certain accounts from purchasing items
• Improved the framerate stuttering issues some clients were experiencing

Updates to Team Fortress 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

• Added the Itsy Bitsy Spyer
• Added a "Buy Now" feature that allows item purchases on the web
• WebAPI changes:
  • Moved IEconAssets/GetAssetPrices to ISteamEconomy/GetAssetPrices
  • Added new web API ISteamEconomy/GetAssetClassInfo for getting descriptions of items

Today, we're introducing a new item from the Steam Workshop, voted on by the community and buyable by everyone. The “Itsy Bitsy Spyer” is a miniature Spy voodoo doll that clips onto the Engineer's belt. It's featured in our Mann Co. Spotlight box at the immediate right of this post!

And for you traders out there, there's a link right underneath the Spotlight item that'll let you buy keys without going into the game. Plus, we’ve removed the three-day trading cooldown for anyone whose first Steam purchase was 30 days ago or more.

All of which brings us to the last new feature we're introducing today: "Buy Now" links that you can create for any item and embed anywhere. Visit the FAQ for more details!

Updates to Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include: Source Engine Changes (TF2, DoD:S, HL2:DM)

• Fixed a client crash during demo playback

Updates to Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include: Source Engine Changes (TF2, DoD:S, HL2:DM)

• Dramatically improved the dynamic model loading system's memory usage, performance, and stability
• Reduced memory usage on systems running Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7
• Improved alt-tab handling under Windows Vista and Windows 7

A new league is starting up via ETF2L. A grand total of $2000 is up for grabs in the prize pool! More details on unlocks and format are available here. The league kicks off February 6, 2012.