As I write this I’m here preparing for Christmas, doing some last-minute cleaning, some last-minute gift buying, checking out the Steam sales, thinking about the three main categories of this site that have the most Christmasy/Holiday feelings without being explicitly about the Holidays. The first one, books, is easy.

Books – The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

In the year 3018 of the Third Age of Middle-earth (S.R. 1418 if you’re using the Hobbit calendar) at the Council of Elrond on October 28th, it was decided that Frodo would take the One Ring to Mordor, and his companions, chosen, formed the Fellowship of the Ring. It was on December 25th that the Fellowship departed Rivendell on the quest to destroy the ring. J.R.R. Tolkien knew what he was doing when he picked that day.

Wrestling – Coming Together

Obviously, over the years, there has probably been a Christmas-themed plunder match. The New Day were known for this kind of thing, so I imagine they were involved where all sorts of Christmasy types of weapons were used, like big candy cane decorations or whatnot, but that’s not what we’re going for here.

What part of the wrestling has those Christmas vibes? It feels like it’s about coming together or those moments of eucatastrophic moments where the babyfaces, who previously had been at odds with each other, have a united front against the heels and triumph. It could be when the underdogs who everyone expected to lose get the surprise victory, like getting that surprise present you wanted but had no expectations you’d actually get. The parts of wrestling that probably feel the most like Christmas are the ones that feel straight from a storybook. The lone wolf babyface who used to be a heel is struggling to overcome the odds, but finds out they have unexpected allies after all. Reunions also have that kind of Christmas magic to them with tag teams, factions, or groups that have long since broken up, having a reason, even if temporarily, for one night only, to get back together.

Games – The North Wind Howls

Batman: Arkham Origins, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Parasite Eve all take place during Christmas, but obviously, the games (and books for that matter too) that probably have that feeling of Christmas are the ones that you received on the Holiday and cherish. As an adult looking back, I feel pretty lucky to have a dad who worked many Thanksgivings and many Christmas Eves to make sure we received the presents we desired which for me was video game consoles. So many Christmases my parents would be like “Sorry you didn’t get many presents the game console you wanted was expensive (or previously, it took Santa a lot of work to make the game console) and I’d be like “It’s cool this is what I wanted! Video games are awesome!”

Games like Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Street Fighter II Turbo, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Star Fox 64, Bomberman 64, Metroid Prime, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and others I received on Christmas I’ll forever associate with those Christmasy vibes.

1996 was like the Holy Grail of Video Game Christmases for me. From my parents I received a Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64, my grandmother gave me Sonic and Knuckles, and my godmother/aunt gave me Super Mario RPG and it was one of those Christmases, if I remember correctly, where it was in the middle of the week so the school district had no choice but to give kids two weeks off. One of the best Christmases ever and not just cause of video games.

As far as vibes though, something about Chrono Trigger’s fairy tale like storytelling gives Christmas vibes to me. If the developers had put a quest to save Santa in it, it would not feel out of place. Neither would any Dragon Quest game to be honest. It’s those sword and sorcery traditions that give me that feeling.

Likewise, I can’t quite put my finger on it, I associate Raiders of the Lost Ark with Christmas time, maybe that’s when I watched it as a kid, but Indiana Jones and the Great Circle I’ve now played mostly in December likely for the same reason.