Christmas
Time:
25 December each year
The place of origin of Christmas：
Rome(the, 2024)
Festivals Prevalent Areas：
globally
Origin of Christmas：
The emergence of Christmas as a Christian holiday occurred in the early centuries AD. In the fourth century, Christian leaders attempted to Christianise existing pagan celebrations by linking them to important religious events. 25 December was chosen to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. The decision to celebrate Christmas on 25 December coincided with pagan to day celebrations, which made Christianity more acceptable to the pagan community(the, 2024).
Christmas Traditions：
- Decorating fir trees (Christmas trees)
The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree originated in Northern Europe, and by the Victorian era, the tradition reached the English royal family, and the trend spread quickly, with homes everywhere decorating Christmas trees(Thaywick, L. ,2025).
At Christmas the whole family would also get together for dinner and exchange gifts under the Christmas tree.
- Christmas bells: Christmas bells are of great religious and cultural significance. The joyful ringing symbolises the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and spreads happiness.
- Christmas Candles：Rooted in ancient pagan practices, Christmas candles have evolved into an important symbol of light, warmth and hope in cultures around the globe.
- Cane candy：A traditional symbol of Christmas, the walking stick is a flavoured candy with distinctive red and white stripes. The ‘J’ shape is said to represent the shepherd’s crook or the name of Jesus, while the white and red stripes symbolise purity and Christ’s sacrifice respectively.
- Christmas card
- Christmas market：Christmas markets are a festive tradition that originated in the German-speaking areas in the late Middle Ages. There are Christmas-exclusive goods, food and handicrafts for sale and various forms of entertainment.
The above Christmas traditions are from Christmasphere (2023).
Christmas colours：
Red, green, gold, white, blue and silver(Christmasphere ,2023).
How Christmas Traditions link to game decoration part:
Players need to ensure that the overall atmosphere of the community is in line with Christmas
- With the Christmas tree as one of the most important elements, players need to move it to the centre of the community square. Players need to decorate the Christmas tree using different decorations according to the Christmas colours.
- Players need to move the Christmas bell to the community centre next to the Christmas tree in preparation for ringing the bell at 12 o’clock.
- Players need to prepare gifts and wrap them to place them under the Christmas tree.
- Players need to place Christmas candles in the neighbourhood and light them after dark.
The atmosphere needed after decorating in the game:
Traditional Christmas food：
Roast turkey (UK, Canada and France)：
Roast turkey is the main course of Christmas dinner in many cultures. The tradition of cooking turkey for Christmas began in England in the 16th century. It became a symbol of festive gatherings and generosity（Culinaryartsswitzerland.com. (2025).
Panettone (Italy)
Originating in Milan, this sweet bread relies on natural leavening and is light in texture and delicately tart. Making panettone is a festive ritual in itself, and for many families the aroma of a single bake marks the arrival of ChristmasCulinaryartsswitzerland.com. (2025).
Gingerbread biscuits (Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia and United States)
The roots of gingerbread go back to medieval Europe, where family members got together to decorate gingerbread biscuits. For many, it’s not just the finished product, it’s the shared experienceCulinaryartsswitzerland.com. (2025).
Dishes preparation process：
Roast turkey：
Softened butter with spices evenly spread between turkey meat and skin ——> Fill the cavity with onions, herbs and celery ——> Bake at 165°C (325°F) for about one hour ——> Allow the meat to rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting
Panettone:
Mix water and flour to form a dough ——> Add butter to the dough and mix ——> Add the sultanas and diced orange peel to the dough and mix ——> Let the dough rise for one hour ——> Mix the icing sugar, low-flour and milk powder well, add the butter and roll it into fine particles with your hands(puff pastry) ——> Brush the top of the dough evenly with the egg wash and sprinkle with puff pastry ——> Bake for 25 minutes
Gingerbread Cookie：
Melt the butter ——> Cook brown sugar in butter until bubbly ——> Add the flour, baking powder and egg and knead to form a dough——> Add cinnamon and grated ginger ——> Pressing out shapes with a mould ——> Bake at 160 degrees for ten minutes
References：
Christmasphere (2023). 49 Christmas Traditions and Customs: Festive Practices (2024). [online] Christmasphere. Available at: https://christmasphere.com/christmas-traditions-and-customs/.
Culinaryartsswitzerland.com. (2025). Top 10 Traditional Christmas Foods From Around the World. [online] Available at: https://www.culinaryartsswitzerland.com/en/news/traditional-christmas-foods/.
the (2024). Christmas enthusiasts. [online] Christmas enthusiasts. Available at: https://christmasenthusiasts.co.uk/classic-traditions/what-is-the-origin-of-christmas [Accessed 9 Jan. 2026].
Thaywick, L. (2025). The Origins of Christmas and a Roman Sun God’s Birthday. [online] HowStuffWorks. Available at: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/origins-of-christmas.htm [Accessed 9 Jan. 2026].
Leave a Reply