Now that I’ve used Skyrim to get the wheels turning on ourDualShockers Christmas Playlist mini-series, I’m all in on making my time in the land of the Nords as festive as possible by adorning Skyrim with the best Christmas mods I can find. Now, different people obviously celebrate Christmas in different ways; some like green Christmas trees, others like white; some like strobing multi-coloured tree lights capable of inducing seizures, others prefer warm golden lights that slowly fade on and of; then there are those of us who stare somberly into the waning glow of the fireplace that’s our sole source of heating this winter, and wonder justwhere it all went wrongbefore fumbling around for the brandy glass.
Point being, there are different degrees to which you might want Christmas manifested in Skyrim, so we attempt to cover a whole range of mods–from gaudy decorations, to festive-themed quests, to the most lore-appropriate damn Santa outfit in existence.
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Christmas Decorations
Ok, you want to see the gaudy stuff first, don’t you? Well, then I introduceCandy Cane Villages–a truly hideous mod that replaces key textures throughout the game’s villages and farmhouses into an assortment of unabashedly Christmassy reds, greens, and golds. Taverns and temples will have green wallpaper with snowflake print, building exteriors will have candy cane lines on them. It’s a well done mod, in fairness, just a little on-the-nose for my tastes.
A more subtle yet expansive alternative isSaturalia - Christmas in Skyrim. This mod places towering Christmas trees complete with baubles in many of the towns, as well as Christmas lights, wreaths in each major location in the game, with each city having its own style of decoration. This is the most complete Christmas mod out there, using assets from other mods, likeA Festive Christmas, then adding a bunch of content of its own. You can still check out Festive Christmas, but for my money (which is none, because there’s no money in modding), Saturalia is the best one.
Oh, and with the Saturalia mod, you may head down to Whiterun, where some rather excellent carol singers singing lore-friendly Christmas tunes await. Perfect!
Does a silhouette on the moon of Santa’s sleigh pulled along by a dragon count as a Christmas decoration? Sure, why not –A Christmas moon decoration. It’s not like we wouldn’t adorn the moon in tinsel if we had the means to, though I suspect when the time comes to actually integrate the moon into our real-world Christmas celebrations, the decorations will come accompanied by a great big ‘SpaceX’ brand.
Santa Armour
There are a few Santa-themed armour sets out there–a lot of them about as well integrated with Skyrim lore as the Coca-Cola Santa. The best of the bunch is without question theSkaal Santa Suit–a set of armour, hat, gloves and boots that have a weathered, subdued tone befitting of Skyrim. Wear this for an appropriately rugged yet still dignified Santa look.
Christmas Characters And Quests
Remember Oblivion’s excellent Whodunit Dark Brotherhood quest, where you’re in a house with a number of trapped guests and need to take them out in whatever way you see fit? Well,Insanity Clauseis a enhanced (and Christmas-themed) twist on that legendary quest. With brilliantly voiced dialogue and an intriguing story, you and 13 guests are invited to a Dwemer ruin for a party, but at least one of you won’t be making it out alive. It’s a really well done little Christmas crime caper.
If you fancy less intrigue and more weirdness and whimsy to your festive-themed quest, then trySantanism: A Christmas Adventure. The mod whisks you off to a faraway festive island, where a lonely carpenter and a ruddy overweight man with a beard await adventurers like you. There’s unique dialogue, plenty of festive imagery, several boss fights and quests, and some rather lovable dark elves who’ve been shrunk down, given Christmas hats, and had their voices pitched up so they better resemble Christmas elves. Not sure how the Dunmer would feel about such typecasting…
Who better to join you on those tundric adventures thanFrosty the Snowman. Yes, head on down to Winterhold and you’ll be able to recruit the anthropomorphic snowman as a follower. Of course he looks silly,he’s a snowman, but when you see him in motion there’s a lot to appreciate with his full animated button-mouth and blinking eyes. His snow texture uses whatever snow texture (modded or not) you’re using in the game too, so he never looks out of place.
Other Christmas Nonsense
Want to get away from all the glowering Nords and Khajiit bandits? Then get away from it all at theDovahkiin Retreat - Christmas Edition, which adorns the humble but idyllic home in theDovahkiin Retreat Continuedmod with all kinds of lovely festive decorations. Hunker down, lock the doors, and have yourself as merry or unmerry a Christmas as you please surrounded by presents, stockings, a Christmas tree, and your trophies from your travels.
As we all know, deer evolve into reindeer, right? Yet in all those years of playing Skyrim, all those many moons of watching those janky deer cross your screen, have you ever actually seen it happen? Well have no fear, because this modder has createdReindeer of Skyrim, which replaces deer with their much cooler and more festive-themed cousins.
