Retro Corner: Christmas

Covering your old school favourites from the sims franchise

Christmas is my all-time favourite holiday. I love participating in festive traditions in the run up to Christmas day including singing carols, performing a Christmas pantomime or concert, snuggling up watching Christmas films with fluffy blankets, eating my bodyweight in chocolate and having a festive tipple or two. When I was a small child, I loved recreating this festive period in The Sims 1 and 2, and as I’m feeling particularly nostalgic this year, I thought I’d look at celebrating Christmas and New Years in The Sims franchise. F e s t i v e holidays were first introduced in The Sims 1: Livin’ Large/ Livin’ It Up through v a r i o u s decorative and p l a y a b l e objects such as the Christmas Tree, SimFarm Turkey Dinner, and Granny Raymond's Holiday Cookies. As discussed in previous articles, we know there is the lack of pre-made/pre-scheduled events in The Sims 1 and 2, and therefore Simmers must manually place certain objects in order to “trigger” an event. If a Christmas Tree, and a plate of Granny Raymond's Holiday Cookies is placed near a fireplace on a residential lot, a Sim imitating the traditional Santa Claus can be summoned. Similarly to the traditional , will ensue. This npc will arrive at around 3am sim-time to deliver each Sim within the family a present. If the cookies are spoiled, the Sim can expect to receive a trash can and Sims will stamp on their gifts when instructed to open them as a result.

Similarly, to The Sims Livin Large/ Livin It Up, shipped with The Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff pack is the appearance of Father Christmas. The process of summoning Father Christmas is very similar to the previous iteration by placing a Christmas Tree, fireplace, and a plate of Santa Cookies. However, to trigger this event, it requires some more involvement from the Simmer. You must instruct your sim to bake Santa Cookies in the evening before 9pm. These only require one cooking skill point. To bake, select a refrigerator, select Serve Group > Desserts > Santa’s Cookies. In addition, all Sims must be in bed by 9pm, where Santa will arrive, and leave presents for the family. He will also eat the Santa’s Cookies your sim prepared beforehand. New Years can also be celebrated with this pack at any time of the year. A Sim can host a New Years Bash via the phone. However, a New Years Bash cannot be thrown in a dormitory, Greek House or apartment setting. The party will start at 8pm, and at 11pm Father Time will arrive on the lot’s sidewalk. Sims will gather around him and at midnight, will begin hitting pots and pans, blowing streamers, and celebrating.

He will transform into Toddler New Year and dance the smustle. He will fade away and disappear just before the party ends. The police may break up the party if it is too loud. This event is also known to be glitchy, freezing the game or even causing it to crash. Despite its universal name, this pack is heavily orientated towards Christmas. Before the release of The Sims 3 Seasons, The Sims 3 store released several Christmas themed sets; Happy Holiday Presents, More Holiday Presents, Gifts for The Holidays, and Tis The Season For G i f t Giving collections. In addition, shipped with The Sims 3 Seasons, the main festive celebration in The Sims 3 is “Snowflake Day” which is likely to b e based on Christmas. Held on the last Thursday of winter, all Sims will have a day off from school or work and employed Sims

will receive their Holiday bonus. They will also receive a +10 moodlet. To celebrate this holiday with others, Sims can host a GiftGiving party via phone. The household will receive a pile of presents, and Sims will autonomously open a present at random or be instructed to do so of the player’s choice approximately two hours after the party commences.

However, there is no option to host a New Years Bash. Sims could host a Feast Party instead, and incorporate selected free objects from The Sims 3 Store; Happy New Year '11 and Happy New Year 2012

Similarly, to “Snowflake day” in The Sims 3, The Sims 4’s “Winterfest” is also likely to be based off Christmas. Even the icon depicting Winterfest suggests Christmas, with a spruce of Holly and a golden present with red ribbon, colours and symbols traditionally associated with this festive celebration. Similarly to Christmas, and Snowflake Day, Winterfest occurs in the middle of Winter, and Sims will have a day off from work or school. The traditions are also similar to Christmas. One tradition is decorating the house with items such as a Christmas Tree and the

Pile of Presents from the Holiday Decorations tab in build/buy mode. This will also help to complete the “Father Winter” tradition further on. You can also decorate the exterior of the house with items from the Attic Shack Decoration Box too. Like real life, engaging in Festive Spirit is another tradition; Sims can decorate a Christmas tree together and interact with specialised options; “ask if you deserve gifts”, and “laugh out loud”. Similarly, to previous iterations, Sims will expect a visit from Father Winter, an npc loosely based on Father Christmas. He will

arrive at 8pm, and should a Sim wish to receive a random present they should speak to him. This will only occur if you have a fireplace and the Pile of Presents from buy/ build mode. These can be opened to complete another tradition too! Finally, like previous iterations, another tradition is cooking and eating a Grand Meal and engaging in Thankful Spirit. New Year’s Eve can also be celebrated in The Sims 4 Seasons as a pre-made holiday. This holiday occurs at the end of the year, with traditions mimicking those from real life such as celebrating, counting down to midnight, watching fireworks and decorating the house. In addition, Sims can make a New Years resolution, ranging from learning a new skill, getting fit and getting a promotion. You have one week to complete this. Overall, It is interesting to see how varied the games are in terms of representing and celebrating Christmas. The latter games include Winter themed festivals that are really just based on Christmas, with similar party-wear, events and family traditions, mimicking real life. That said, it is odd to find that The Sims 3 Seasons cut New Years celebrations from the pack. This suggests this universal approach was deliberately done to avoid religious holidays and appeal to all Simmers. I hope you enjoyed this article, and have a wonderful holiday! Melissa x

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See the latest and the best Machinima right here. Browse, Watch and support Directors whilst you enter a world that can take you anywhere you want to go. From love stories to Alien Abduction - From The Sims, to Skyrim We have something for everyone Join us Today