You're likely getting ready to visit your family for Thanksgiving, it may be getting a bit cold where you live, and it's very possible you've already begun holiday shopping for your friends and family. That means it's also the time of year for one of my favorite annual promotions: the Ars Technica 2011 Child's Play Drive.

Child's Play is a charity run by Penny Arcade that was created to serve two purposes: to bring comfort to children who are away from their families and loved ones due to illness, and to put a more positive face on gaming culture. The charity has had massive success with both goals for years, and it's been an honor for us to be a part of it for three years running. Let's get this year's party started!

Why should I donate? How do I donate?

The "why" is simple: by placing a monetary donation (or by buying items directly), you're making sure children who are stuck in the hospital for the holidays have toys, books, and video games to play with. Gaming can take players far away from their actual surroundings, and that's never more important than when your reality is a long-term stay in a medical facility.

Donating couldn't be easier. Simply go to the official Child's Play page and donate via Paypal, or click on one of the individual hospitals to view its Amazon wishlist and purchase those items directly. You can also text GAMERS to 50555 to donate $5 instantly. Between Paypal, Amazon, and text messaging, everyone has an easy way to donate, and every little bit helps.

Now, here's the fun part. Grab a digital copy of your receipt (it can be a screenshot or simply a cut and paste of the text) and send it to ChildsPlay@arstechnica.com. Your receipt gets you an entry into our drawing for the prizes you'll read about below. (One entry per person, see official rules for entry without purchase) We'll choose 17 winners on January 10, 2012, and those winners get to choose their prize packages (choosing takes place in the order that the winners were drawn). Donations need to be made before January 4th to be eligible for the prizes. Here are the full rules.

What prizes do we have, you ask? Let's take a look.

Ultima: Quest of the Avatar for the NES, signed by Richard "Lord British" Garriott

Giving this away hurts. This is an NES copy of Ultima: Quest of the Avatar. The box has some wear, but other than that it looks great. This year I had the privilege of sitting down with Richard Garriott, the creator of Ultima, for a long interview about his experiences in space, and during that talk he was gracious enough to sign this copy of the game. I've had it in my collection all year, but it's time that this highly collectible piece of gaming history went out to a reader.

This is an incredible package, and the fact that it's signed makes it even better. If you're a fan of gaming history in general or RPGs in particular, this would be the cornerstone of any collection.

Halo Reach Xbox 360 with Halo: Anniversary

Microsoft sent us the limited edition Halo: Reach Xbox 360 to give away, and we're going to include a copy of Halo: Anniversary to go along with it. If you're just starting out with the Xbox 360 or you're a big fan of Halo, this is going to be quite the bundle.

The system comes with the hardware (complete with the Halo artwork, graphics, and sounds), along with two silver Halo-themed controllers, a copy of Halo: Reach, and a black headset for use with Xbox Live. Once more, this is also coming with a copy of the just-released Halo: Anniversary.

Two copies of Halo: Anniversary

Just that simple. We also have two extra copies of Halo: Anniversary to give away. This is a great update to a classic, featuring co-op on Xbox Live and the ability to switch between the new graphics and the classic mode at will. The sounds and music have also been completely updated and re-recorded to make sure it sounds as good as it looks.

Aliens pulse rifle, art print of the Sulaco, and a copy of Aliens: Infestation for the Nintendo DS

Sega and Gearbox went all out when they were promoting Aliens: Colonial Marines before E3 this year, and we received this Nerf rifle in the mail. That's not a big deal, but it came in a special hardshell case spraypainted with the letters "USCM," standing for "United States Colonial Marines." The Nerf gun has also been modified and painted to look like a pulse rifle from James Cameron's Aliens film.

As far as I can tell, a dozen or so of these guns were handmade and sent to the gaming press. This particular gun has "Adios" painted on one side as well. We'll also throw in the print of the Sulaco, the ship seen in the Aliens film, and a copy of Aliens: Infestation on the Nintendo DS.

Epiphone guitar, along with a copy of Rocksmith

When Ubisoft sent us a copy of Rocksmith to review, they also included an Epiphone guitar so we could test the game using an actual instrument. I used my own guitar for the review, and put the LP Special 2 Epiphone in the Child's Play pile. If you choose this prize package, the guitar is yours.

If you need to learn how to play guitar, that's fine; we'll include our copy of Rocksmith to get you started.

Plants vs. Zombies toys

This package contains toys and collectibles that were never sold to the general public, making them both rare and collectible. We'll be giving away a sunflower toy, three zombies, four Plants vs. Zombies hats, and two sheets of fun Plants vs. Zombies magnets. Again, these have never been made available to the general public, and they will make it easy to convert your desk to a warzone of plants vs. the walking zeds.

Skylanders

We love Skylanders. The game is great fun, especially with children, and the toys are a kind of DLC you can play with outside of the game. This was one of the most pleasant surprises of this season, and Activision has been kind enough to give us two copies of the game on each system to give away. So if you have a PC, 3DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3... it doesn't matter. We have two of each to give away, meaning eight people can win the game's starter pack, which comes with the game, a magic portal, and three characters to get you started.

Modern Warfare 3: Hardened Edition

This is the biggest game of the year, and this is the best version of the biggest game of the year. The Hardened Edition not only comes with the game, but a full year subscription to Call of Duty Elite, meaning you'll get every single piece of DLC released for the game in that time.

Here's the full list of contents for this great package:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for Xbox 360

One year of full membership in Call of Duty Elite service (includes future DLC, map packs, etc.)

Founder Status (includes in-game emblem, player card, weapons camouflage, clan XP boost and more)

SteelBook Case

Special Ops Juggernaut Xbox LIVE Outfit

Limited Edition Field Journal

We have one copy of this game to give away on the Xbox 360.

Razor keyboard and mouse, along with Modern Warfare 3 Gunnar glasses

This is a fun package that will add some punch to your PC gaming setup. You'll get the Razer Imperator mouse with the Battlefield 3 graphics, the Razer Black Widow keyboard and, just to confuse the branding a little bit, a pair of the Modern Warfare 3 Gunnar Optiks. We've taken an in-depth look at Gunnar's glasses before and liked what we found: they really do help your eyes if you're gaming for long stretches.

You get all three items in this prize package, making you ready to kill virtual people on your gaming PC. Really, isn't that what the holidays are all about?

Let's aim high!

Last year Ars Technica readers raised over $24,000, making the site a platinum sponsor of Child's Play 2010. I'm not sure if we can beat that amazing number, so let's start with a goal of $10,000 and go from there. How quickly can we make that? Let's find out.