The 'bug' that limits holidays to 3 Sims per household is on the latest laundry list, so it will probably get fixed in the next update. That might also fix the problem where your Adult Sims can't ask Father Winter for gifts.
Your other issues sound like the game is working properly but you just don't like the way it works.
Smog is common for areas that don't have much greenery if you have Eco Lifestlye installed. The solution is to either turn off Enable Eco Footprint Gameplay or add more plants and other 'green' items.
Dogs can't use elevators. Move to an apartment or house that uses stairs or is all on the ground level.
If you don't like the way your pets look, either change their appearance in CAS or give them up for adoption. You might need the cas.FullEditMode cheat to change their appearance.