Snapchat today announced a Group feature for you to start chats with up to 16 friends. You can see who’s present in a group chat at the bottom of the screen, and are given the option to start a private chat by selecting individual friends’ names.

Just like all things on Snapchat, chats or snaps sent to a group are deleted after 24 hours and can only be replayed once. If you don’t open them in time, they’re also gone.

In addition to the update today, there are also new tools for you to customize your own stickers by either cutting them out from a photo with the Scissors function, or using a Paintbrush to draw cat ears and whiskers on your selfies. Nothing says Happy Holidays like a group snap to your friends with hand-drawn Santa hats.

As Instagram Stories continue to wage a war with Snapchat over ephemeral messaging, filters and creative tools are simple ways Snapchat can stay ahead... at least until Facebook implements its MSQRD live filter app on to Instagram. It’s only a matter of time, right?