One of the most important annual events in Stardew Valley's Pelican Town is the Feast of the Winter Star, taking place every year on Winter 25. It basically serves as the game's in-universe version of Christmas, with a large decorated tree in the town square, a huge feast, and an exchange of gifts.
Each year, the player will be given a character that they must give a secret gift to, and a gift-giver that will reveal themselves at the festival. There's a lot to see and do, so here are some of the smaller details you might have missed.
Updated on August 7, 2021 by Michael Christopher: With a huge recent update, Stardew Valley has kept itself in the cultural zeitgeist. If you've played through several years in the game, you'll be familiar with the Feast of the Winter Star, and if you're just starting out, you have something to look forward to! We've given this list a refresh to keep it up to date.
12 Leo Attends
Spoilers ahead:
The newest NPC in the game is Leo, a small child who lives on Ginger Island with his family of parrots. Once you reach six hearts in friendship with him, he'll move to the Valley. At this point, he'll start attending the yearly events.
You'll be able to find him hanging out with Linus at the Feast of the Winter Star. It's possible for him to be your gift-giver or for you to be his, just like most other characters.
End of spoilers!
11 Pierre Has a New Shop
Newer players probably won't miss this, but people who have been playing the game since before the 1.5 update might, so it's included on this list of missable details.
As of the update, Pierre now sets up shop in a few more festivals than he did before. This includes the Feast of the Winter Star, where he'll sell a variety of winter- and holiday-themed items. At his booth during the festival, you can buy some plants, decorations for your Farmhouse's interior walls, and more, so bring some money with you (and a few empty inventory slots).
10 Coldstar Ranch
After completing the Community Center or purchasing all of the Joja developments, you can help open a Movie Theater. It will feature a rotating film from a set list, one of which is the Miracle at Coldstar Ranch.
This film tells the story of a family that wishes upon the Winter Star and a miracle occurs, somewhat like a classic family story for the Feast. If you're in the holiday mood, check out this film when it's in the theater!
9 Crane Game
While you're at the Movie Theater, you can take home a Winter Star tree for your own home to keep the festive vibe around all year. During Winter, the crane game in the lobby of the theater can contain a large Tree of the Winter Star.
It'll take a few grabs before you can fully lift it out, so try your best. If you're having too much trouble, though, you can just buy it from Robin or the Traveling Cart on a rotating basis, or the Furniture Catalog anytime. (Crane game is more fun, though.)
8 Divorce
Divorce is a pretty bitter experience in the Stardew world. Once you decide to divorce your spouse, they'll be extremely hostile toward you, dropping your friendship level to zero and refusing to accept any gifts from you. You can choose to wipe their memories and reset their feelings toward you, if you want.
However, if you fail to do this before Mayor Lewis sends you the letter about the Feast, you may receive your ex-spouse as your giftee. This will break the festival, not allowing you to give the gift. You also can't receive one from them if they're your gift-giver.
7 Mayor Lewis
Speaking of Mayor Lewis and his letter — he's just as likely to be your giftee as any other NPC. This means you can get a letter from him stating that you must give him a gift, which is very humorous.
However, it also ruins the entire point of the gift-giving being a secret, since Lewis knows who his gift-giver is. Still, he'll act totally surprised when you give him his gift. Maybe he forgot.
6 George
George, husband of Evelyn, grandfather of Alex, and all-around town grouch, keeps his rotten attitude going even during the joy and celebration of the holiday season. Not one to ever miss a chance to complain, George will complain about the Feast of the Winter Star if you talk to him during it.
When you talk to him, George will say "Humbug!" which is, of course, a shortened form of "Bah Humbug," the iconic phrase of Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol.
5 Exclusive Gift
Those players who have almost any of the adults as their gift-giver (with the exception of Clint, Evelyn, Marnie, Robin, or Willy) may end up incredibly lucky. One of the gifts that they can receive from the adult characters is a Tea Set, which is exclusive to this event and can't be obtained any other way.
The Tea Set is a small piece of furniture and doesn't serve any true purpose beyond its decorative value, but it's the perfect addition to any tea shop or kitchen table. It's also fun just because of its exclusivity.
4 Gifts Can Be Less Than Ideal
Lucky players might receive a Tea Set, but unlucky players can receive much worse. Some of the gifts you can receive are really lackluster, leaving you with a bit of a disappointing feeling following the end of the festival.
Leo, Vincent, and Jas can all gift the player a single piece of Clay. Meanwhile, Clint often gives Geodes, which you have to spend money at his shop to crack open. Thanks Clint...
3 Friendship Bonus
Leveling up your friendship with each villager can be a difficult and incredibly lengthy process. So, it's wise to take full advantage of the Feast of the Winter Star's gift-giving system. The gift you give your giftee is worth a whopping 5x friendship points.
This also means that you'll lose 5x the points for giving they something they dislike or hate.
It's important, then, to make sure you're giving something your giftee will like. Some universally-loved gifts are good choices, and it's very easy to research what your giftee likes and dislikes online. Otherwise, pay attention to what other characters say — they may give you hints.
2 Santa
Christmas might be an incredibly important day for many people, including children who look forward to opening gifts. But, for Santa Claus, the night before is even more important, as that's when he actually does the main bit of his traveling work, transporting gifts all over the world.
In Stardew, the same principle applies. While the villagers look forward to the day of Winter 25, the night before, Winter 24, is more important for Santa. He can be seen on the shipping screen the night of Winter 24, soaring across the sky.
1 Talk To Willy
If you're at the Feast and wondering what it's all about, you can easily learn by talking to the resident local fisherman, Willy. Head over and talk to him, and he'll ask if you want to hear the full legend of the Winter Star.
Willy will tell you that a bright star, the Winter Star, is only visible in Stardew Valley, and gives good fortune to any who gaze upon it. People would travel from far and wide to see it, and the Feast of the Winter Star seems to be a celebration of it.