For obvious reasons we won’t be posting any news stories on the site today, but we’d still like to wish all our visitors a merry Christmas and happy new year.

So enjoy your day. Spend it with family and friends rather than on the internet reading about video games.

Or maybe play a few video games with Christmas themed levels instead. There are quite a few of those, and our recommendations for them can be found here:

Christmas Level Recommendations

• Freezeezy Peak – Banjo-Kazooie
• DK Isle – Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
• Holiday Hare and Holiday Hare 98 – Jazz Jackrabbit
• Mount Pajamaja Summit – Mario & Luigi Dream Team
• Mount Brrr – Mario & Luigi Paper Jam
• Sherbet Land – Mario Kart Double Dash/8
• Shiver City/Snow Fields/Crystal Palace – Paper Mario
• Snow Kingdom/Shiveria – Super Mario Odyssey
• Slipshod Slopes/Freezing Fields – Wario Land The Shake Dimension

Caption: Perhaps the best Christmas themed level in any video game

Meanwhile if you’re after an actual Christmas themed game or experience… well there’s not much we can suggest there. Most specifically Christmas themed games are pretty bad for obvious reasons (no sales value in other times of the year).

Still, Daze Before Christmas may be one of the better choices, being a competent Santa Claus themed 2D platformer that’s available to play on the SNES. And if you’re fine with something a bit shorter, well the fan game and ROM hacking scenes have a few options too. Super Mario Blue Twilight DX has a Christmas themed episode if you play on Christmas day, and SMW Central has a ton of Christmas themed hacks, which can be seen here. Mario’s Christmas Quest exists as a fan game too.

Caption: Perhaps the best thing you’ll get for an officially released Christmas themed game

Either way, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.