It’s nice to sit back and relax withThe Sims 4in the run-up to Christmas, but at first glance, it appears that there isn’t much to do in terms of festive gameplay. If players have exhausted the Winterfest celebration, there are a few other options players might like to try out instead, from exploring the Gallery to looking up interesting custom content.
A quick side note: a lot of the festive spirit available inThe Sims 4comes from theSeasonsexpansion pack. Arguably one of the most popular packs, this not only unlocks the Winter season, but also opens up Holidays, which is a huge part of celebrating Christmas or other winter holidays inThe Sims. Other thanSeasons, however, players shouldn’t need any particular expansion packs to try out these ideas.
5Recreate Home Alone
The good news aboutThe Sims 4is that, at this point in the game’s lifespan, there’s an abundance of amazing free content available on the Gallery. This includes some incredible lots and families, many of which are based on movies and TV shows (with some iconic Christmas movies in the mix, too).
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If players have ever watched theHome Alonemovies and had serious house envy, they can (kind of) live vicariously throughThe Sims. There are several McCallister homes up for grabs there, including one gorgeous home by MARTIIII88 (named ‘Home Alone McCallister’), which requires the Country Kitchen and Holiday Celebration Pack. Players can also find the characters in the Household section, with several Simmers taking on this task. The user Duckiehugs (with the Household name ‘Home Alone Characters’) has done an amazing job of recreating Joe Pesci’s Harry in particular.
4WooHoo Father Winter
If players want to enjoy Christmas inThe Sims 4, they can use theSeasonspack to throw a Winterfest celebration, which is essentially the same thing. Sims can swap presents, decorate their homes, and even encounter the famous Father Winter (this world’s Santa Claus). He’ll turn up in the evening to leave presents under the tree. If players are quick enough, they cantry to WooHoowith him, as Father Winter counts as aromanceable occult species.
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Romancing Father Winter isn’t easy. Players will need to ensure that their chosen Sim is happy and well-rested. If possible, attempt to WooHoo Father Winter in a lot with the Romantic Aura trait, which will help to get Father Winter in the mood. It may take a lot of flirting, but the end result could be interesting: Father Winter’s babies will have a special Reward Trait, which will boost a Sim’s satisfaction gain by 50%, making it much easier to keep them happy later on.
3Pick a Christmas Tree
Players can roleplay picking a Christmas tree by typing ‘Christmas Tree Farm’ into the Gallery. This will bring up someunique Gallery builds, including a particularly pretty one by the user Moonlightseeker (type in ‘Nat’s Christmas Tree Farm’ to find it). Players can then take their Sim families on a day out to buy a tree. While buying a tree isn’t actually an option, it’s a cute scenario to roleplay, and players can get the family to explore the neighborhood to find ice skating spots while they’re out and about.
Players can then buy the Christmas tree for their Sims home, and have their Sims decorate the house. This is a nice activity to do in the run-up to Christmas. It’s also worth having a look at somecustom content: there are tons of gorgeous sets around includingChristmas treesandChristmas gifts.
2Make Your Own Romcom
There’s nothing like the holidays to bring out a bit of romance. There are someinteresting ScenariosinThe Sims 4which introduce some tension between Sims, making the gameplay slightly more challenging (which is welcomed by most players). Players can access Scenarios in the main menu. Three that are particularly good at Christmastime are’Rom-Com'(this has an Easy difficulty),‘Finding Love After A Breakup’(Intermediate difficulty), and’Honeymooners'(Intermediate difficulty). Set against the backdrop of a snowy neighborhood, this can create a Netflix-style movie feeling that feels cozy to play at this time of year.
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As a side note, if players have exhausted the in-game Scenarios, they can download custom Scenarios instead. UserKawaiiStaciein particular has some excellent ones to try out, and if players are sticking with the romantic theme, they can try out ‘High School Sweethearts’, which is a nice one to start in Winter.
1Create A Custom Holiday
The holidays included in Seasons are a little hit-and-miss, with some love-it-or-hate-it features included in the major holidays (gnomes, anyone?). Players may prefer setting up their own version of Christmas, which will enable them to eliminate the annoying parts in favor of more interesting ones.
To do this, players can click on the calendar icon in the bottom left-hand side of the screen, and then click on a blank spot in the calendar to make a new holiday. For example, they could set up a Christmas movie night, or go for a DIY Festivus approach by picking ‘Air Grievances’ as a new tradition. Players can celebrate Hanukah or Kwanzaa by selecting “Light Menorah” or “Light Kinara.” There are several traditions players can use, from giving gifts to playing games to streaking. There’s something for everyone!
