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The Sims 4: Seasons was the first expansion to add the in-game calendar on release in 2018, and with it came not only with a weather forecast and changing seasons, but holidays as well. And even though the calendar system is a base-game feature now, bringing holidays to all, Seasons still has a few exclusive holidays you won’t find elsewhere.
Some holidays are pre-set with the expansion, and you’ve even got the option to make your own as well. Looking for all the info on traditions and how to celebrate? Our guide to The Sims 4 Holidays is for you.
Updated on May 3, 2023 by Gabrielle Castania: With The Sims 4 having become free-to-play and with the calendar system implemented into the base game, we wanted to revisit our Sims 4 Holidays guide again after the release of Growing Together, to ensure it’s as up-to-date as possible. You’ll find info here on holidays in the base game, holidays exclusive to The Sims 4: Seasons, and everything you’ll need to have some very happy holidays.
What's The Difference Between Holidays And Events?
The in-game calendar can be used to schedule both holidays and events.
Some of these are tied to Seasons, while others are available to all in the base game.
The chart below shows the different events tracked in the calendar, depending on the content that you own.
Event Type |
DLC Required |
Notes |
---|---|---|
Work Schedules |
(Base Game) |
All jobs with regular hours are tracked, both full and part-time. |
School Schedules |
The calendar tracks grade school and high school and also displays grades in the information section. |
|
Birthdays |
Household birthdays are tracked as long as aging is enabled. Birthday Party events must be created manually. |
|
Parties |
You can plan different types of party in advance, and they will be tracked here. They can be scheduled up to two weeks in advance. |
|
Weddings |
You can plan and schedule a wedding for a Sim in your household up to two weeks in advance. |
|
Holidays |
Seasons |
Specific holidays that include traditions are still exclusive to Seasons. |
Seasons |
The season changes once a week by default, and each season behaves differently in each of the different Sims 4 worlds |
|
Talent Showcases |
Bring your talented Sims to these events for a chance to show off (and maybe even get noticed) |
|
The Starlight Accolade Awards |
Working toward becoming a superstar? The Starlight Accolades are the awards show for the best in the business |
|
Festivals in Henford-on-Bagley |
The calendar will track the village fairs, including details of what will be showcased each week for those with Cottage Living. |
|
Festivals in Mt. Komorebi |
The Calendar will track the festivals in the different neighborhoods in Mt. Komorebi if you have Snowy Escape. |
|
Festivals in San Myshuno |
The calendar tracks City Living's range of festivals in San Myshuno. |
|
Halloween |
Spooky Stuff adds the Spooky Party event which you can schedule to create Halloween in your game without Seasons. |
|
Wedding Ceremonies and Vow Renewals |
Swearing your life to your love makes it into the calendar |
|
Wedding Parties (Bach, Rehearsal, or Family Gathering) |
You can't celebrate your big day without celebrating about it first |
|
Stay Over Events |
Extended stays and sleepovers can be initiated and tracked through the calendar. |
|
Baby Showers |
Get ready to welcome your new bundle of joy surrounded by family and friends |
The weather forecast and different seasons are also tracked on the calendar but only for those with the Seasons expansion.
Major Holidays In Seasons
When you first open your Sims calendar after installing Seasons, you'll notice four major holidays already added.
Love Day
The Sims version of Valentine's Day has the traditions of romantic spirit, give flowers and go on a date.
Sims can fulfill the first desire by partaking in romantic interactions with their significant other.
Harvestfest
Harvestfest is like Thanksgiving and has many of its traditions. Sims will enjoy decorating for the event, cooking and eating a grand meal, and employing a thankful spirit. This thankfulness comes from specific interactions available on the day.
You'll also notice holiday gnomes around, which you can appease to have your house carpeted with seed packets. Alternatively, you can remove this tradition from the holiday if you're not a fan, or simply sell the gnomes.
If you want to appease the gnomes, here's what they prefer:
Which Gifts Should You Give The Sims 4 Harvestfest Gnomes?
Gift |
Which Gnome Likes It |
---|---|
Fruitcake |
Ghastly gray gnome |
Future Cube |
Alien gnome with a tentacle beard |
Toy |
Naked gnome with a censor box |
Salad |
Pinky bunny gnome |
Pie |
Bear gnome |
Grim Reaper gnome |
|
Swimsuit gnome |
|
Coffee |
(All gnomes not mentioned above) |
Winterfest
This is the closest you'll come to Christmas and asks Sims to decorate, open presents, and enjoy a grand meal together.
There are also festive spirit interactions to enjoy, and Father Winter will pay you a visit, with gifts in tow. You can also use the decoration box in-game to make sure your house feels suitably festive.
New Year's Eve
There's no fancy name for this one, just the requirement to decorate, get in the party spirit, make some resolutions, and enjoy the countdown to midnight.
Sims will gain small boosts if they make and then complete a resolution, so choose carefully!
Other Minor Holidays From The Sims 4: Seasons
As well as these larger holidays, other surprise events will appear.
These occur seemingly at random, so be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled for the holiday jingle and pop-up box to know when they're happening.
Rebate Day
If you buy an object worth at least 500 Simoleons from the build buy catalog, you'll complete this event.
You'll also receive a ten percent rebate on this and any other purchases made on rebate Day later in the week.
Prank Day
This day is exactly what the name suggests, a day you'll gain a boost from playing pranks on your friends and neighbors.
Any mischief interactions will complete the requirement.
New Skill Day
This day gives Sims a boost to skill-building. As long as you build any skill for a short time, then you'll complete the task.
All skills are learned faster during this time.
TV Season Premiere
To complete this event, tune into your TV at the time shown in order to catch the show first.
Neighborhood Brawl
The day is like a N.A.P. gone wrong with the neighborhood brawl event.
Sims will start random fights with others, and you can expect to see brawls break out all over the place.
Night On The Town
Sims are encouraged to visit specific places by the tempting offer of free food and drinks.
San Myshuno's bars are the main venues included in this event, as the event comes with City Living.
The Lottery
Use your phone to buy a lottery ticket and see who wins. Each Sim can purchase one ticket each, giving large households a better chance to win.
Winners receive a life-changing one million Simoleons for winning, so it's worth a shot!
Talk Like A Pirate Day
Inspired by the real-life annual event, your social menus will take on a pirate theme for the day. Click any option with a pirate flag next to it to complete the task.
How To Add Custom Holidays To The Sims 4 Calendar
To add a custom holiday, simply click the "add holiday" option after selecting any day that doesn't already have a holiday icon on it. This will then give you a screen where you can customize your holiday to craft the traditions and decor of your dreams.
In the top left is an icon that can be changed to denote your holidaty, and next to it is a space to name your celebration.
If you want neighborhood Sims to decorate their houses for the occasion you can select a decoration theme from any of the other major holidays.
The final option in this top space is a tick box for if Sims will get the day off from work and school.
Once these details are filled in, you can then choose up to five traditions that your Sims can follow on the day to gain positive moodlets.
If you want to create an event that just gives Sims a day off from school or work, for instance in order to have scheduled vacation time, you can leave the traditions blank.
There are over 50 different traditions in total.
All Holiday Traditions In The Sims 4
Specific Holiday Themed |
Generic Holiday Themed |
Behavior-Based |
Religion or Culture-Based |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Countdown to Midnight |
Decorate |
Appreciate an Object |
Air Grievances |
Attend Holiday Ceremony |
Make Resolutions |
Baking |
Cleaning |
Exercise |
Fasting |
Egg Hunt |
BBQ |
Fighting |
Games |
Light Kinara |
Flower Bunny |
Drinking |
Go on a Date |
Tell Stories |
Light Menorah |
Thankful Spirit |
Grand Meal |
Art and Music Spirit |
Gardening |
Remembrance |
Father Winter |
Open Presents |
Give Flowers |
Go on Vacation |
|
Festive Lighting |
Party Spirit |
Mischief Spirit |
Romantic Spirit |
|
Festive Spirit |
Give Gifts |
Streaking |
Water Fun |
|
Spooky Spirit |
Invite Guests |
Fire |
Polar Bear Plunge |
|
Trick or Treat |
Wear Costumes |
Sports TV |
Watch Romantic TV |
|
Holiday Gnomes |
Fireworks (City Living) |
With wedding traditions such a major addition in My Wedding Stories, we've got a full guide to the traditions of weddings.
Once you've chosen your traditions, the holiday is ready to be celebrated! Simply click the tick to add it to the calendar.
How To Remove Holidays Or Change Holiday Traditions
If you want to add or change a holiday, then you can select it on the calendar and click the edit button on the left-hand side.
This will allow you to change anything you want about the holiday except the day.
If you're trying to move a holiday to another season (perhaps to reflect the Southern Hemisphere, for example), you'll need to delete the holiday and make it again from scratch on the target date.
The edit feature is most useful for removing traditions that may annoy you, such as Holiday Gnomes, or changing the decoration theme to none in order to prevent the neighborhood from stringing up love heart bunting.