My Christmas tradition – The Legend of Zelda

There are many traditions that ring in the Christmas season: candle making, baking biscuits or sipping mulled wine at the Christmas market. My personal favourite tradition: playing certain games. My highlight under the Christmas tree was always rectangular presents with a new console or game inside. I remember that when I got my Nintendo DS Lite as a present, there was nothing I wanted to do but play Nintendogs. My puppies were already perfectly trained for their competitions even before New Year’s Eve.

A homegrown tradition

As an adult, I feel this magic less. Since I’m now able to get the release or console of my dreams all year-round, one game under the Christmas tree is nothing special. That’s why five years ago I started a new tradition, giving gaming that special holiday status again.

The tradition: every year at Christmas time I play a Legend of Zelda game. The Legend of Zelda is my favourite video game series, so I never get bored of the games – regardless of whether I’ve played them before or not. Initially, this tradition was supposed to motivate me to finally play all the games in the series. These days, I just choose which game I want to play most.

Keeping the Christmas spirit thanks to snow areas

Most Zelda games feature snowy areas or icy caves that work with winter and Christmas. If you like things melancholy but atmospheric, I can recommend a visit to Snowhead mountain in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Make sure to pack plenty tissues. Goron Darmani’s story, who dies a hero’s death to save his village from boss Goht, is still incredibly touching.

If you prefer things homey and cosy, visit the nice yeti couple in the mountain ruins of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. But beware: the dungeon boss fight takes advantage of your relaxed state, using it to scare the living daylights out of you. This playfulness between cosy warmth and oppressive ice maintains the tension. The villa the two yetis live in is an unused environment for a Zelda dungeon. All these elements make the mountain ruins unique and well worth a visit.

Cosy memories

But it’s not necessarily the snowy areas or the many game release dates just before Christmas that make The Legend of Zelda the perfect series for the festive season. The cosy atmosphere that arrives whenever I enter that familiar gaming world enchants me every year.

When I put a Zelda game into my console or handheld of choice, I always know what to expect: diverse regions and citizens plagued by problems that I can only solve in dungeons. Wonderful music and a deep, immersive game world included, of course. Like many fans of the series, I skilfully overlook the fact that the main story can sometimes be weak. Besides, the thing that cemented my love for the series since childhood is quite simple and subjective: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was one of the first games my brother showed me. Since then, I’ve loved watching him play other games like The Simpsons Hit & Run and Stronghold Crusader. I associate precious memories with this time, especially with The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. No other game can give me that same feeling.

Why is this tradition necessary?

Unlike during the rest of the year, I consciously take the time to immerse myself in a familiar game world. The stress of everyday life fades into the background, and I treat myself to some time out during the turbulent festive season. The ritual nature of this tradition makes me appreciate moments of relaxation even more, and I look forward to them weeks or even months in advance.

That’s why I recommend you introduce a similar tradition. And it doesn’t have to be The Legend of Zelda either. Cosy games like Animal Crossing, action spectacles like Doom or horror games like Resident Evil are legitimate candidates too. The main thing is that the game makes you happy. That’s what my little tradition is all about, after all.