Well, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons coming out early 2020, this might be the last Christmas celebration a lot of people have in New Leaf, which is a little sad when you think about it.

The residents of my village “NUT-TOWN, U.S.A” will not be happy.

But for me, whipping out Animal Crossing: New Leaf at least once every December has become a little ritual of mine since the game came out. It may not be all that exciting, but seeing my villagers in their festive coats, woolly hats, and disgusting sweaters still makes me feel wholesome and jolly.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Image Source: Nintendo EAD

And for a 22-year old British cynic with a heart that’s usually colder than nipples in a blizzard, that’s saying something.

Really, I don’t even need to explain to you why Animal Crossing is the perfect game to play at Christmas. If you’ve played it yourself, you know exactly why. And if you haven’t played it yourself, well, you’re missing out on one of the finest mundanity simulators out there.

To me, Animal Crossing is everything Christmas should be. Just apart from the rush, stress, and all your money abandoning you like a deadbeat dad.

… Happy Holidays, btw.

Now, this one belongs on this list for two reasons. One, it’s snowy. (In case you couldn’t tell) and two, playing games that you’re super nostalgic for is a great way to get you in the festive mood. And I’m not usually really nostalgic about games, but honestly SSX Tricky was a huge part of my childhood.

Almost as much as Spongebob and discovering porn way too early.

SSX Tricky, Image Source: EA Canada

I can’t help it, man. This game just brings back way too many memories for me to not want to play it every Christmas. It was one of the very few games me and my older brother played together. He would be Moby, I would be Marty, we would shred it down Garibaldi, and he would win every time.

It wasn’t until years later I discovered he would use a shortcut I didn’t know about.

Prick.

But yeah, SSX Tricky is my jam, and honestly, I know a lot of people love the third one, but to me, Tricky will always be the best SSX out there. Or at the very least It’s a hell of a lot better than the one for the Wii.

Also, It’s been 8 years since the last one.

There’s no joke there. That just makes me really unhappy.

And from one extreme winter sports-em-up to another, here we have Steep. The game that proved that you don’t have to be perfect to be really f*cking entertaining.

Whilst Steep may not have the endless charisma or sick Run D.M.C track of SSX Tricky, it’s still a fun game, and perfect for the winter. The gigantic and stunningly gorgeous snowy mountains make Steep an absolute joy to traverse and explore, even if 90% of what you’ll discover is just more trees.

Steep, Image Source: Ubisoft Annecy

But still, just Snowboarding, Skiing, Wingsuiting, and Paragliding around the wintery alps of wherever the hell we are, is more than enough to keep you entertained. It’s simultaneously really exciting, and also kind of relaxing to plummet down a smooth snowy summit with nothing but sheets of beautiful white powder ahead of you.

Until you slip and crash from a slightly too big jump.

Seriously, the G-Force mechanic can eat my Yule Log.

Sorry, I’m nitpicking too much. Steep is actually a really fun experience, and a great game to play this time of year. I’d definitely recommend giving it a look if you’re looking for a game where you can soar through the air with the greatest of ease.

Like a majestic flying squirrel, with a Red Bull sponsorship.

Now, apart from being a part of the utterly stellar Donkey Kong Country trilogy, and featuring the only appearance of the absolute legend that is Kiddy Kong, before he was shipped off to Guantanamo and was never heard from again, this game has another reason to make ya happy.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!, Image Source: Rare

Strangely enough, if you enter a super special secret code in the select game menu, you can unlock a “Christmas Mode” for the game, where some of the bonus games will become all Christmasy. Like the regular collectables will be replaced with Bells or Presents or something like that.

… hey, I didn’t say it was anything mind-blowing, but I still think it’s pretty neat.

I know it’s not a huge change, but I still think it’s really cool that they added in something as obscure and weird as this, just for the sake of wishing their audience a Merry Christmas. God, I really wish the days when developers would just put strange and cool things like this in their games for some unwitting kid to find.

These days they’d charge you $7.99 in microtransactions just for the Santa hat.

In this game you can tell a little elf that you murdered his dog in an attempt to make him cry.

This is a good game.

Yeah, the first episode in season 2 of Sam and Max is all about Christmas. Specifically It’s about Sam and Max going to confront Santa, because he sent a giant killer robot to destroy them both. And if you don’t know much about Sam and Max, that’s actually pretty standard practice for these fellas.

Maybe like a 6/10 on the weird scale.

Sam and Max Episode 201: Ice Station Santa, Image Source: Telltale Games

But this episode is Sam and Max at it’s very best, with all the utterly bizarre characters and scenarios that make these games great. Like a giant statue of Abraham Linclon’s head going on a date. Or a group of talking out of date machines opening an auto body shop. Or a mini game where you use a deformed baby doll to beat up a sleazy rat in a tiny boxing ring.

This. Is. A. Good. Game.

And even though it’s weird, surreal, and oddly dark as all the other Sam and Max games, there are still some wholesome moments that make it more festive.

You do end up sending Santa directly to hell, though.

And last on our list we have the only game I’ve mentioned where you can actually play as the big man himself, and yeah, I know there are a lot more games like this out there where you can play as Santa.

But the thing is, this is one of the very few that’s actually good.

Yeah, unfortunately most of the games about good ol’ Father Christmas are either terrible flash games, terrible Wii shovelware games, or battle royales where Santa’s kill other Santa’s to see who is the greatest Santa of them all.

Daze Before Christmas, Image Source: Funcom

Seriously, that exists. It’s called Long Live Santa. Google it.

But Daze Before Christmas defies all expectations by actually being a pretty solid platformer. The pixel art is nice, the music is pleasant, the bosses are interesting, and when you hold down, Santa disappears into his hat with one of the most weirdly adorable animations I’ve ever seen.

To me, Daze Before Christmas is the shining star in the sky of otherwise dull and dreary Santa games. It’s like the one present under the tree that you instantly know is going to be your favourite, and make all the other mediocre presents totally worth it.

And then you check the label, and it’s for your older brother, not you.

Prick.

And if I may get serious for a moment, I know this can sometimes be a tricky time of year for some people, but from me to you, I hope you have the very best Christmas that you can. Whether you’re relaxing with family, drinking with friends, or just chilling in your PJ’s watching Home Alone 2.

Have a good one, and Merry Christmas!