Custom Sims 4 Holiday Traditions to Add to Your Game

The festive season is finally here, and that means it’s time to celebrate everything from Thanksgiving to your favorite seasonal traditions. But you don’t have to stop at the usual holidays. With customized traditions, you can fill your Sim’s calendar with meaningful events that turn everyday gameplay into something lively, warm, and memorable.

From cozy Christmas mornings and New Year celebrations to Ramadan nights, Diwali festivities, and Lunar New Year rituals, adding the right traditions makes every household feel unique.

Below is a curated list of realistic Sims 4 holiday traditions you can add to your calendar, whether you’re celebrating Western holidays, cultural events, spiritual festivals, or simple family rituals. Each tradition includes ideas for how to use it in gameplay, so you can make your seasonal calendar feel more immersive.

NOTE: You need the Sims 4 Seasons Pack to celebrate holidays in-game. The base game only shows events like Festivals (if you have City Living), but not customizable holidays.

What Are Sims 4 Holiday Traditions and How Do They Work?

Sims 4 custom holiday traditions are activities you manually add to holidays you create in the in-game calendar (The Sims 4: Seasons). They’re used to shape the mood, theme, and purpose of each holiday you add to the calendar.

Every tradition represents a specific action, like Baking, Opening Presents, Lighting Candles, Gardening, or Drinking. If your Sim completes these traditions, it fills your Sim’s Holiday Meter for a successful celebration.

You can mix and match traditions to create any holiday you want. For example, Christmas might include Festive Spirit, Giving Gifts, and Holiday Tree, while Ramadan could include Fasting, Cleaning, and Appreciating Objects.

On the other hand, you can recreate cultural festivals like Diwali, Lunar New Year, and Hanukkah using traditions such as Lighting Candles, Fireworks, and Gathering With Family.

HELPFUL TIP: Use MSQSIMS to add 49 new traditions to your game. You can download the More Holiday Traditions mod via the link attached.

How to Add Your Own Holiday Tradition to The Calendar

Here’s how to add a custom holiday tradition to your Sims 4 calendar:

Open the Calendar (available only with the Seasons pack)
Pick any day you want
Click “Add Holiday”
Give it a name and choose an icon
Add up to 5 traditions (Each holiday in The Sims 4 can have a maximum of five traditions that define how the holiday is celebrated)
Choose if it repeats yearly
Save and it will immediately appear in your season rotation

NOTE: Many Sims 4 holiday traditions unlock special interactions or activities, such as ‘Open Presents’, requiring a gift pile object in the home.

Holiday traditions are one of the easiest ways to make your save feel more immersive by adding culture, family rituals, and seasonal storytelling to your gameplay.

Realistic Sims 4 Holiday Traditions to Add to Your Calendar

There are four pre-made holidays in The Sims 4: Harvestfest, Love Day, Winterfest, and New Year’s Eve. Each one features its own traditions, moodlets, and themed activities, and you can keep them as they are, adjust them to fit your household, or remove them entirely from your rotation.

Because the default list is quite limited, adding more holidays is the best way to keep your calendar festive and immersive throughout the year. Below are some of the most realistic Sims 4 holiday traditions you can add to your game:

1. Christmas Morning

Create a cozy winter holiday using traditions like Festive Spirit, Opening Presents, Holiday Tree, and Baking. Have your Sims decorate the tree the night before, wake up early, exchange gifts, and enjoy a warm breakfast.

Use this holiday for family storytelling, especially if you add Snow Day or WinterFest activities for children. Traditions for Winterfest include decorating a tree, baking holiday treats, and exchanging gifts.

2. Christmas Eve Dinner

For those who want real-life holidays, add a Christmas Eve dinner to your calendar. You can use traditions like Grand Meal, Cleaning, and Family Gatherings from the Seasons EP.

All you have to do is host a formal dinner the night before Christmas, set the table with clutter, and invite relatives for a calm, candlelit celebration. You can add Baking or Drink Bar traditions to make the night feel festive and give Sims a reason to cook more than usual.

I also recommend taking a few pictures using Sims 4 family poses to capture the love and essence of family.

3. New Year’s Countdown

This holiday celebration works well with traditions like Party Spirit, Fireworks, Music & Dancing, and Drinking. It’s the perfect way to bring in the new year and celebrate with friends and family.

Throw a late-night celebration and countdown to midnight with your friends. Let Sims stay up past bedtime and add Fireworks for a big finale.

To make the tradition more realistic, fill your home with holiday decorations like gold and silver items to keep it sparkly.

4. New Year’s Day Reset

Another realistic holiday to add to your Sim’s calendar is the New Year’s Day Reset. It’s a calm holiday focused on tidying up after the big party, journaling, or setting new resolutions.

Use traditions like Cleaning, Exercise, and Appreciating Objects. Your Sim can visit parks, meditate, or go for their first workout of the year. If you enjoy realism and wellness gameplay, I highly recommend adding this tradition.

5. Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holiday celebrations as it keeps me in a thankful spirit. If you feel the same way, host a Thanksgiving Dinner with friends and family.

Combine traditions like Grand Meal, Give Thanks, and Family Gathering. You can have your Sims cook the most delectable feast with traditional Thanksgiving foods like baked turkey and invite relatives to share stories over the dining table.

You can also add Cleaning or Baking, depending on how hands-on you want the celebration to be.

6. Friendsgiving

In addition to Thanksgiving, you can also host a friendsgiving to celebrate your close friendships. Use traditions like Games, Gratitude, Drinking, and Grand Meal.

During the event, serve potluck-style dishes, cultural dishes, or order takeout using Sims 4 food mods. I recommend adding a small gift exchange or card-writing activity to make it feel more personal.

7. Ramadan Evening

There isn’t enough cultural representation in the base game, which is a bummer. Luckily, you can represent religious and cultural holidays like Ramadan using traditions like Fasting, Cleaning, Meditation, and Appreciating Objects.

Your Sim will have to avoid eating until evening, before breaking the fast with family. They can also clean the home before prayer time. As an extra tip, add Cooking or Family Gathering for a more authentic iftar moment. This is by far one of the best Sims 4 holiday traditions for adding realism to your game.

8. Eid Celebration

Eid is a joyful cultural holiday you can easily recreate by using traditions like Grand Meal, Give Gifts, Cleaning, and Attending Ceremony. After a reflective Ramadan, your Sims can start the morning with clean outfits and a tidy home before gathering with family for a celebratory feast.

Add Give Gifts or Family Gathering to highlight the spirit of generosity and connection. You can use this tradition to bring warmth, color, and cultural depth to any scene.

9. Diwali Festival of Lights

For those who want to celebrate Diwali, choose Sims 4 holiday traditions like Lighting Candles, Fireworks, Family Gathering, and Clean House. Prepare the home earlier in the week, then let Sims cook sweets, decorate with warm lights, and celebrate with fireworks at night.

You can also decorate the neighborhood with fairy lights and lamps to transform your entire world into a Diwali celebration. Don’t forget to add Appreciating Objects or Party Spirit to bring more color to your game.

10. Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is one of the most vibrant cultural celebrations you can add to your calendar, and it works beautifully using traditions like Fireworks, Grand Meal, Give Gifts, and Cleaning. Your Sims can deep-clean the home beforehand, prepare symbolic dishes, and dress in bright red outfits to welcome good fortune.

In the evening, gather the family for a reunion dinner and end the holiday with fireworks. This tradition adds color, cultural richness, and meaningful storytelling to your game.

11. Halloween Night

You can easily recreate Halloween in your gameplay using traditions like Spooky Spirit, Trick or Treat, Mischief, and Wear Costumes. To keep everything on theme, decorate your Sim’s home with pumpkins, spider webs, and fog machines before sending the kids door-to-door. And, when random masked neighborhood kids come to your door, share a treat with them

You can host a separate costumes party for the adults, where you play spooky music, carve pumpkins, or take part in ghost hunting. This ensures everyone has good fun, good food, and a spooky celebration to remember.

12. Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)

If you love dark themes and holiday celebrations, add the Day of the Dead to your calendar. You can use traditions like Remembrance, Appreciate Object, Grand Meal, and Family Gathering to complete the theme.

Your Sims can honor ancestors by setting up an ofrenda, decorating with marigolds, and preparing sweets. Have them invite relatives over to share stories, listen to music, and keep memories alive. While this is a dark holiday, it’s a beautiful, emotional celebration that adds depth and generational meaning to your game.

13. Juneteenth Freedom Day

Juneteenth is a meaningful holiday that celebrates Black freedom, independence, and the end of slavery. It’s one of the most powerful Sims 4 holiday traditions to include in your game, and it works beautifully with activities like BBQ, Music & Dancing, Drinking, and Family Gathering. Host a backyard cookout using your outdoor grill, decorate in red, black, green, and yellow, and let your Sims enjoy good food and music together.

You can also add Reading or Appreciating Art to represent reflection, education, and honoring history. This holiday brings warmth, culture, and significance to your summer rotation.

14. Easter Sunday

Easter works well with traditions like Egg Hunt, Baking, Gardening, and Attending Ceremony. To make the holiday as realistic as possible, scatter eggs around the lot for children to find, bake themed desserts, and plant spring flowers to mark the season.

You can also add a family brunch or visit to the park for photos and outdoor fun. This holiday is the perfect excuse to bring cozy spring storytelling to your save file.

15. Spring Equinox

The Spring Equinox marks the official start of spring and symbolizes renewal, balance, and fresh beginnings. You can bring this seasonal shift into your game using traditions like Gardening, Outdoor Activities, Yoga, and Appreciating Objects.

Let your Sims plant new flowers, tidy their house exterior and interior, or take a relaxing walk through a park to welcome the warmer weather. To take it a notch further, add a picnic or bouquet-arranging moment to make the day feel calm and restorative.

16. Pride Celebration

Pride is a vibrant, inclusive holiday that lets you highlight LGBTQ+ Sims in your save. Create your own Pride event with traditions like Music & Dancing, Drinking, Give Gifts, and Art Spirit. You can either host a neighborhood party with friends and family or design a pride walk on the streets.

Whatever you do, ensure you’re on theme by dressing Sims in rainbow outfits and decorating the streets or lot with bright, expressive colors. For the community gatherings, add Socialize or Attend Ceremony.

17. Hanukkah (Festival of Lights)

Hanukkah is a beautiful eight-day celebration that focuses on light, resilience, and family. You can recreate it in the game using Sims 4 holiday traditions like Lighting Candles, Grand Meal, Give Gifts, and Family Gathering.

Have your Sims prepare a cozy dinner, gather around to light candles, and spend the evening sharing stories or exchanging small presents. Add Appreciating Objects to reflect the holiday’s historical meaning. This warm, meaningful tradition brings cultural depth to your winter gameplay.

18. Kwanzaa Celebration

Celebrate Kwanzaa in your gameplay with traditions like Family Gathering, Give Gifts, Lighting Candles, and Appreciating Objects. This week-long African American cultural holiday was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga to honor African heritage, community, and shared values.

Start by building a warm, community-centered holiday focused on family values, creativity, and unity. Decorate the home with symbolic colors and include a Shared Meal to bring everyone together. You can also add Reading to represent the holiday’s educational and cultural elements. It’s a great tradition to include for black Sims and people of color.

19. Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is a simple holiday you can include in your calendar with traditions like Give Gifts, Cleaning, and Appreciating Objects. You can buy gifts for the mother in your household or book them a spa date so they can spend the day relaxing.

I’d also suggest making breakfast in bed and giving them flowers. To make the holiday more meaningful, add Socialize or Family Gathering. This tradition works perfectly for family gameplay and generational households.

20. Father’s Day

Another simple and realistic holiday to add to your calendar is Father’s Day. It’s one of those Sims 4 holiday traditions you can’t miss, and it’s easy to incorporate. Just use traditions like BBQ, Sports, Outdoor Activities, and Give Gifts.

To celebrate the dad in your household, plan a relaxed picnic, take the family fishing, or spend time watching TV together. You can also add Remembrance if your storyline includes honoring a parent who has passed.

There are so many ways to celebrate Father’s Day in the virtual world, so it’s really up to you how you want to incorporate it.

21. Valentine’s Day

For those who want a romantic holiday celebration, start with a classic – Valentine’s Day. This holiday brings romance into your game with traditions like Romantic Spirit, Give Flowers, Go on a Date, and Music & Dancing.

Your couple Sims can exchange roses, enjoy a candlelit dinner, or spend the day cuddled up at home. They can also click on the TV and select watch romance. For a more playful twist, add WooHoo or Socialize, and decorate the house with soft lighting to complete the mood.

I normally use this holiday as a perfect time for strengthening relationships and storytelling.

22. Spring Cleaning Day

Spring Cleaning Day is one of those surprise holidays people don’t normally celebrate. But, it’s a great addition, especially if you want to have real, slice-of-life moments in your game. Use traditions like Cleaning, Appreciating Objects, and Exercise to represent the holiday.

Have your Sims deep-clean their home, organize inventories, repair appliances, and freshen up the yard. You can also add Gardening for extra immersion, especially in spring saves.

23. Summer Beach Day

If you enjoy sunny, summer days, you need to add a Summer Beach Day to your holiday calendar. Use it to celebrate the warm weather using Sims 4 holiday traditions like Water Fun, Outdoor Activities, BBQ, and Travel.

This tradition is perfect for the world of Sulani, where your Sims can visit a local beach lot to swim, sunbathe, build a sand sculpture using sand, and grill lunch. I recommend adding Music & Dancing if you want a beach party vibe.

24. Oktoberfest

Fall is my favorite seasonal holiday, and one way I like to represent it in-game is with an Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is a lively autumn festival centered around food, drinks, and socializing. You can recreate it using traditions like Drinking, Grand Meal, Music & Dancing, and Party Spirit.

As a bonus, host a big outdoor feast with pretzel-inspired snacks, grilled foods, or whatever fits your save file. To match the fall decoration theme, add pumpkin-themed items and patches designed in autumn colors. You can also design a pumpkin carving competition where other Sims create art to win festive rewards.

25. Movie Marathon Night

If you want a low-effort holiday ceremony that fits anywhere in your calendar, try the Movie Marathon Night. All you have to do is set up a movie night with popcorn, blankets, and dim lighting. Sims can binge-watch comedy, horror, or family films depending on the season.

You can use traditions like Watching TV, Eating, Drinking, and Socialize for your moodlets. This is one of the simplest Sims 4 holiday traditions you can set up in your game.

26. Self-Care Sunday

Self-care Sunday is a relaxing holiday ceremony for players who want to keep gameplay fun without the emotional toil. Use traditions like Spa Activities, Meditation, Cleaning, and Reading.

Let your Sims relax with bubble baths, facial masks, yoga sessions, or a home spa day. For an extra wellness boost, add Appreciating Objects or Exercise. It’s quiet, grounding, and perfect for Sims who need a mental health reset.

27. National Pizza Day

This fun and lighthearted holiday works with traditions like Eating, Ordering Takeout, Drinking, and Games. Have your Sims order pizza, invite friends over, and host a casual game night.

You can add Music & Dancing if you want more energy, or keep it chill by watching a movie or sharing stories. I recommend using Sims 4 food poses to capture the beautiful moments in between bites of pizza.

28. Family Reunion Day

For large households with multiple family members across generations, this is a beautiful holiday celebration. You can use traditions like Family Gathering, Grand Meal, Remembrance, and Socialize.

Be sure to invite extended family, share stories, cook together, and enjoy all the good food with all the generations. What I like to do is create a cooking or baking competition, where the completed dish is displayed for everyone to enjoy. Older family members can also pass down their secret sauce recipe to newer generations and tell stories.

If you want a backyard theme, add Gardening or Give Gifts for more richness.

29. St. Patrick’s Day

Recreate this lively celebration using traditions like Drinking, Party Spirit, Music & Dancing, and Wear Green. Remember to dress your Sims in green outfits, throw a themed party, and decorate with clovers or bright pops of color.

You can also add Games or Baking if you want a cozier version. It’s a fun filler holiday that keeps spring gameplay playful and bright.

30. Wedding Anniversary

Another romantic holiday celebration I like to add to my seasonal gameplay is a wedding anniversary. I use traditions like Romantic Spirit, Dinner, Give Gifts, and Reminisce to represent the theme.

You can use this holiday for storytelling couples. Let them revisit their wedding venue, enjoy a quiet meal, or exchange small, meaningful gifts. For players who want anniversary trips or big celebrations, add Socialize or Travel. This way, you can go for a vacation or travel to a tropical island to celebrate.

Sims 4 Holiday Traditions FAQ

Do I need The Sims 4: Seasons to create custom holidays?

Yes. The Seasons expansion pack is required to access the in-game calendar, holidays, and traditions. Without it, you can’t add, edit, or celebrate custom holidays.

How do I add a new holiday to the calendar?

Open the Calendar, choose any date, and click Add Holiday. From there, give it a name, pick an icon, and add up to five traditions. You can also choose if it repeats every year.

What are Sims 4 holiday traditions?

Holiday traditions are specific activities your Sims must complete during a holiday, like Baking, Opening Presents, Drinking, Lighting Candles, or Outdoor Activities. Each tradition gives moodlets and counts toward a successful holiday.

Can I delete or edit the premade holidays in the Seasons pack?

Yes. All default holidays, New Year’s Eve, Love Day, Harvestfest, and Winterfest, can be fully edited or removed if you want a different rotation, which suits your gameplay.

How many traditions can I add to a single holiday?

You can add up to five traditions. If you include too many, your Sims might struggle to complete them all, so choose the ones that fit the theme best.

6. Why are some traditions grayed out?

Some traditions only appear if you own specific expansion or game packs. For example, Water Fun requires Island Living, and Baking works best if you have Get to Work installed for extra recipes.

Do holidays affect Sim’s emotions or behavior?

Yes. Completing traditions increases holiday satisfaction and rewards Sims with positive moodlets. Failing or ignoring a holiday can give negative moodlets, especially for Sims who care a lot about traditions.

Can kids and teens participate in all holiday traditions?

Not all. Some traditions, like Drinking or WooHoo, are restricted to adults. Children and teens can participate in age-friendly traditions like Egg Hunts, Decorating, Baking, Games, and Family Gatherings.

How do I make cultural holidays feel more accurate in The Sims 4?

To make cultural holidays feel more authentic and real, combine relevant traditions (like Lighting Candles, Fasting, or Grand Meal), use themed CC décor, and adjust outfits to reflect the culture. You can also place holiday-specific items from Build/Buy or mods for more realism.

Why should I add custom holidays to my game?

Custom holidays make your save feel personal, seasonal, and culturally rich. They help structure gameplay, improve storytelling, and bring more personality to each household without relying on mods.

1How long do holidays last, and can they span multiple days?

By default, holidays in The Sims 4 last one in-game day and run from 6 AM to 2 AM the next morning. The game doesn’t support multi-day holidays, but you can create back-to-back holidays to simulate longer festivals. For example, you can set a “Christmas Eve” holiday followed by “Christmas Day,” or create a two-day cultural celebration like Eid or Lunar New Year.

Can I celebrate different holidays with different households?

Yes. Holidays appear for every household in your save, but you can choose whether each family celebrates or ignores them. If a holiday doesn’t fit a particular household’s culture or story, skip the traditions or remove the holiday from that specific season. This flexibility makes it easy to personalize celebrations across multiple saves.

Final Thoughts

Adding custom holidays to your Sims 4 calendar is one of the easiest ways to make your gameplay feel more personal, seasonal, and culturally rich. You can recreate real-world celebrations or build fun in-game traditions. Each holiday adds structure, meaning, and warmth to your save.

Feel free to mix and match these ideas, adjust them to fit your households, and build a calendar that reflects your storytelling style. With just a few thoughtful additions, every season in your game can feel special, memorable, and full of festive charm.