I'm a little disappointed in this holiday season with Sims 3, since there don't seem to be as many opportunities for Christmas merry-making as in previous versions.  To be sure, you can download two Christmas decoration items for free from the Sims store: "Winter Wall Wreath" and "Christmas Wall Stockings."

ETA: Of course, the MINUTE that I post this, EA puts up a bunch of free holiday decorations, including a Kwanzaa candle holder thingie and a menorah.

(It does make me wonder, why only Christmas?  Does it mean that Sims are Christian?  Except that I'm an atheist and I celebrate a Christmas-like festival, so I guess that can't be true.  Still though, where is the menorah?  The religion free winter decorations like snowflakes and bells?  The Kwanzaa colors?)

In the first Sims game, Santa Claus came with the expansion pack The Sims: Livin' Large.  This was an all purpose expansion pack that also introduced the Grim Reaper, the robot Servo, Sunny the Tragic Clown, and more.  

The Sims: Livin' Large was the first expansion pack for the game, and it was pretty awesome at the time.  I remember being insanely excited to play with this new "telescope" object, and of course everyone loved the Vibromatic Heart Bed.  It was, you know. Very relaxing.

(By the way, rumor has it that the Vibromatic Heart Bed will be returning in the first Sims 3 stuff pack, which is set to be released some time early next year.  This stuff pack was originally named "High End Loft Stuff" but is now being called "Modern Loft.")

Once you had The Sims: Livin' Large installed, you could summon Santa by setting up a Christmas tree beside a fireplace (hopefully not lit), have your Sims bake a plate of cookies and leave them out on the counter, and put all of your Sims to bed before midnight.  This would summon Santa, who would leave a random gift for your Sims.  Often this gift was some lame random bit of décor, but once and a while he would leave something cool like the most expensive television, or a hot tub.

Santa came to The Sims 2 with the expansion pack The Sims 2: Holiday Party Pack.  This expansion pack was holiday specific, and was basically a stuff pack with Santa included as a bonus.  Santa Claus had more functionality in The Sims 2, since once you summoned him, children could meet and interact with him.  However, he left only one present for the entire household (as opposed to the first Sims Santa Claus, who left one present for each family member).  However, if no cookies are left by the time Santa arrives, he will leave a lump of coal.

There is no word yet on whether EA plans to release holiday themed expansion packs for The Sims 3, but it seems like they certainly would at some point.  Maybe by the end of next year our Sims can have a proper Christmas!  One with something more than two decorations and no Santa Claus.

On the up side, EA has already started planning for your New Year's party.  You can download free "boomer party hats" from the Sims 3 Store.  Do these really explode or something?  I have downloaded and installed them, but I haven't yet tried using one.  I'm a little afraid!