Share what you do for realistic gameplay!

So, I know there was an old thread of this topic, but I can’t find it. Even if I did, I don’t want to necro it. So I made a new one for us to share and discuss what we do for realistic gameplay! I put some pictures under spoilers, but pictures are by no means necessary.

Baby showers:
I bake the pink and the blue cake, make a party event, and call guests to meal. They will then take a piece of cake corresponding to the gender that they think the baby will have! At the end of the event you can look at which cake they have been eating the most out of, and that decides the gender bet. This way, you can also see what gender the individual sims are hoping for and that can be a precursor for further gameplay :blush:


Birthdays:
Birthdays are a big ordeal haha. So, I age Sims up in the morning with birthday cake in their room and the whole family in there (I want a mod where holiday songs are available regardless of whether its a holiday or not so that they can wake them up with a birthday song), and then the family members gives them presents.
Then later for their birthday party they get gifts that are relevant for their age. And I also have a chance to CAS them up so they look like they should for their party.
I create a birthday party in the morning as a goaled event since this is where the cake is actually being used to age up, which is the main goal. I later make an ungoaled event and invite either family, friends, or both depending on what most fitting. There they open presents again which are supposed to be from the guests :blush:. They use the midday to bake cakes for the party, decorate the house (using the decoration box from Seasons) and such.

I once had a kiddo birthday party at a retro diner and that was so much fun. Just the kiddos friends, the mother and a friends mother as guardians. I made a childrens corner and decorated it with birthday decor fitting with the restaurant colors and "brand".



Homework:
I make good, nerdy etc. sims do homework themselves, but for children with "bad" traits (like lazy, mean spirited etc.), a parent will have to instruct them to do homework or else they won’t do it. Parents sometimes also help them to ensure they finish it. In general children with "bad" traits require more active parenting, but "good" traited children are more independent in my gameplay.

Change of clothes:
I try to always have sims change clothes at an actual dresser instead of clicking on them. (But if they are showing up somewhere with the wrong outfit, I cheat it with MCC :sweat_smile:)

New Years:
Halloween is not a thing I’ve grown up with, but for New Years as a child I always got dressed up with my friends, went to neighbours and caroled for treats. This is called "nyttårsbukk" (directly translated: New Year buck). In the Sims I implement this by making the children wear costumes at new years, and enabling the "trick or treating" tradition so children show up at the door! I also enable the fireworks tradition, it’s so fun to finally have a usage for the fireworks from City Living :blush: The sparklers also come in handy.



Weddings:
I place a DJ booth at the wedding venue and hire a DJ after the ceremony for the reception. Also, it's great to add just a random sim to the family during weddings to act as a wedding photographer - I like to dress them up so they look professional.

Had to put these pictures up, I love weddings aaaaarh



I love doing things like this as it makes my gameplay so immersive.
So, please share - what do you do for realistic gameplay - large or small? :smiley: