Did Destiny just lock Christmas behind a paywall?

Guardians looking to celebrate the holidays in Destiny this year will be saddened to hear that any sort of festivities are now locked behind the paywall known as Eververse Trading Company. For those unfamiliar, that's Destiny's microtransaction system that lets players pay real money for in-game items like emotes. And while most players have been surprisingly okay with the new microtransaction system, Activision is taking its greed to a whole new level.

Asked if Bungie was planning any sort of holiday/Christmas-related events for the Tower this year, community manager David "DeeJ" Dague had a rather unpopular response.

The event DeeJ is referring to is the Sparrow Racing League, a limited time event that allows Guardians to race across Venus and Mars on their Sparrows in hopes of earning rewards. It will be playable through December 29th and provides players with event-exclusive gear.

Aside from Halloween, Bungie has never really celebrated the holidays in Destiny. Last year around this time, players were treated to a "holiday gift" from an "Unknown Benefactor" that when opened converted into a random legendary class weapon with random perks. It wasn't much, but it was a free gift that said "thank you" to those who supported Destiny early on.

This year? You're thank you is gated behind a paywall. The "Christmas lights" DeeJ is talking about — which aren't really Christmas-y at all, just sort of blinking — are locked behind the SRL Record Book for $10. And even if you buy it you have to complete the objectives to earn the rewards.

My point being in all of this isn't to complain that there's no Christmas in Destiny. Who knows, we may get a surprise update that adds some holiday decorations in the Tower. The problem with all of this is during a time when many developers are giving out a little free something to show their appreciation, Activision continues to nickel-and-dime us every way possible.