It’s hard to believe it’s almost the end of 2020, but here we are! And there are only a couple of days left until Christmas now. It’s going to be a little different for a lot of us this year, but instead of focusing on the negative, which I know is all too easy at a time like this, today I want to focus on the positive.
You know, like lovely seasonal things we can enjoy even when we’re on lockdown.
So I figured what the heck, let’s talk about how some of my favourite video games incorporate Christmas. And don’t forget to share yours too!
Christmas levels in Lego Harry Potter
This one is a bit of a double for me, because Lego Harry Potter is what my sister and I always end up playing together at Christmas so it has a lot of good memories associated with it.
On top of that, there’s always at least one level dedicated to Christmas, which usually involves you running around and beating up gifts and Christmas dinner for studs. Seasonal, yes; traditional, not so much.
Plus, every game has a Santa Hat extra, which is really the only way you can do a level like that.
Toy Day in Animal Crossing
Though it’s new to me this year as an Animal Crossing newbie, Toy Day has been a staple in the games for years. And you have to appreciate the directness of it; it’s the only one on my list that actively calls out the gift aspect of Christmas!
Though I’ve yet to get to it (due to time travel obsessions), I love the idea of decorating a whole island for Christmas with little trees and DIY trinkets. It’s also lovely that you can actively give gifts and your villagers will acknowledge that it’s from Santa and everything.
Starlight Celebration in FFXIV
This annual event opens for two or three weeks for players to complete. And though it’s not strictly Christmas-related, it’s pretty clear from the timing and the decorations that pop up in all the major cities that it basically is. Even the Starlight outfits are Santa-themed!
Every year’s celebration has a different story, which is how they get players to come back and complete them. Last year’s was probably one of the purest I’ve ever seen, where you had to help a chocobo get his singing voice and join the Starlight choir.
Plus, you always get a super wintery reward out of it, so you can then have Christmas all year!
Starry Night Festival in Harvest Moon
This is one of the staple festivals that happens in almost every Harvest Moon game, and is almost always scheduled for Winter 25. It’s an adorable festival where you can ask a special someone to watch the stars with you for the evening.
The main reason why I love it, though, is that it’s one of the few family-oriented events in the series. Most festivals are done on your own or with one other person, but for this festival, you usually end up having a big celebration dinner with the other person’s whole family before you go look at the stars!
Christmas skins in League of Legends
League is known for its abundance of great skins, and one of the first themes they did back in the day was Christmas-related. Most of the time, those skins are locked for purchase—but around this time of year, they usually come back into the store.
I’ve always found them to be clever designs, like the Winter Wonder series and even a little snowman ward that you can leave around the map.
I especially appreciate Festive Maokai (though I don’t play him) because it basically just turns him into a Christmas tree, and Winter Wonder Neeko because of its recall animation with penguins aplenty.
How do your favourite games incorporate Christmas?
One thought on “Tis the season: How my favourite games do Christmas”
I really need to set up my PS4 so I can do the Starlight Celebration; I haven’t missed one in 5 years! But I really don’t feel like setting it up lmao. Plus I’m a little hesitant to get back on cause I know my husband will ask me to heal and I really don’t want to!