Father Winter (Santa Claus) Did Not Show Up!

Today is Christmas Day in real life. Is Winterfest on now, or is it over?

Winterfest is a Sims holiday. It comes every Sim year. It has nothing to do with what is happening in real life.

You have to have the Seasons expansion pack in order to celebrate Winterfest or see Father Winter.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. I just re-read my answer and noticed that I said "Seasonal" but meant "Seasons Pack." But that was the first pack I bought and was not long after I bought the game so I couldn't remember if it came with that pack or with the base game. Anyway, sorry for not being clearer in my answer.

As for Seasons, it's definitely worth buying when you can. It really makes the game in my opinion.

I've never had an issue with him not showing up :disappointed:

"SimsLady2000;c-17758105" wrote:
There has to be a fireplace at least nearby.

NO. You dont need a fireplace (again, people seem to lack the ability to read). I mean, i NEVER EVER buy a fireplace since the last two years, and he shows up basically always.

The times he didnt was because i had the door locked (he will come and leave) or i wasnt in the household by then, or whatever. Also if you invite him before he needs to come back for the event, the game goes crazy and he will leave and never come back again. So you are not going to see him and you will fail the event. There are some situations where he wont show up, specific situations. Otherwise, he will always show up as long as you have a gift pile in your household.

"Tantalus;c-17758591" wrote:

"SimsLady2000;c-17758105" wrote:
There has to be a fireplace at least nearby.

NO. You dont need a fireplace (again, people seem to lack the ability to read). I mean, i NEVER EVER buy a fireplace since the last two years, and he shows up basically always.

The times he didnt was because i had the door locked (he will come and leave) or i wasnt in the household by then, or whatever. Also if you invite him before he needs to come back for the event, the game goes crazy and he will leave and never come back again. So you are not going to see him and you will fail the event. There are some situations where he wont show up, specific situations. Otherwise, he will always show up as long as you have a gift pile in your household.

I have many houses that have no fireplaces and have never had an issue with him. He's always showed. This was the first time that he arrived so late and only immediately after I built the fireplace. So I know that he did not need a fireplace in the past. And I know the wiki states that if there is no fireplace present, he will simply come to the front door. However, I don't remember reading anything about having to have a present pile for him to show (but I always do so that's never been an issue). In fact, I did not even know that there were "situations" in which he may not come as I've never had this happen before.

The whole point of this thread is that it was getting closer and closer to 2am and I had 8 people who wanted that extra present. Then as I posted later, he did finally show exactly when I returned to live mode from b/b mode where I bought the fireplace. I hadn't even had a chance to light the fire and he showed.

So yes, in the past and according to the wiki, a fireplace is not required. So I was just wondering if that had changed with the latest patches and updates.

"Tammors;c-17758293" wrote:
Today is Christmas Day in real life. Is Winterfest on now, or is it over?

If you have Seasons pack there is a calendar with scheduled holidays. The holiday don't even need to be Winter Fest, as long as Father Winter is added as a feature. So, I guess he can visit even in Summer if you want that - you would just need to add a new holiday including Father Winter.