Feast of the Winter Star
| Feast of the Winter Star | |
|---|---|
| Type | Festival |
The Feast of the Winter Star closes the year, and it is the only festival built entirely around giving. Every villager is paired secretly with another, the farmer included, and the whole event is the moment when those presents change hands. A letter from Mayor Lewis a week beforehand names who the farmer has drawn; who has drawn the farmer stays a secret until the feast itself. Choosing well matters more here than on any ordinary day, because a gift handed over at the feast is worth five times the usual friendship, so one well-judged present does the work of a season of small talk. Pierre keeps a booth of winter decorations, and a few of its items rotate each year.
Event
The feast is held on the twenty-fifth of every Winter in Pelican Town, and the way in is to walk into the town between nine in the morning and two in the afternoon. The festival ends whenever the farmer leaves, and the day closes with a return to the farm at ten at night.
The gift exchange is the main business. A villager has been picked at random to give the farmer something, and the farmer has been assigned somebody in return. Mayor Lewis sends his letter out on the eighteenth, naming the recipient, which gives a full week to find something that person will love. Once the gift has been handed over, the farmer's own secret giver steps forward and produces their present.
That five-times multiplier cuts both ways. A loved gift given at the feast is a huge jump in friendship, and a disliked one is an equally large fall, so it is not the day to offload something from the bottom of the bag. The multiplier applies to a single item rather than a stack.
Who the farmer can draw is almost everybody. The only children in the valley are Jas, Vincent and Leo once he has moved to the mainland, and everyone else counts as an adult. The Dwarf, Krobus, Marlon, Sandy and the Wizard never give gifts.
What comes back depends on who drew the farmer, and a handful of villagers have fixed presents. Clint hands over mining goods: an Iridium Bar, five Gold Bars, or five of the Geode, Frozen Geode or Magma Geode kinds. Robin brings building materials, either ninety-nine Wood, fifty Stone or twenty-five Hardwood. Willy brings fishing gear, a Dressed Spinner, a Magnet or twenty-five Warp Totem: Beach. Marnie brings a dozen Eggs and Evelyn brings a Cookie. A child gives a single Clay, Ancient Doll, Rainbow Shell or geode.
Every other adult draws from a shared list, which is where the better presents come from: a Pumpkin Pie, a Poppyseed Muffin, a Blackberry Cobbler, a Glow Ring, ten Deluxe Speed-Gro, a Purple Mushroom, a Nautilus Shell, a bottle of Wine or Beer, a Tea Set, a Pink Cake, a Ruby, an Emerald or a Jade. The Tea Set is the one collectors want, since the ordinary adult list is where it comes from.
Shop
Pierre's booth is the biggest decoration stall of the year, and almost all of it is for indoors.
A Tree of the Winter Star costs 5,000g and is the centrepiece, with a Festive Dining Table at 3,000g behind it. A Winter Banner, an Ornate Window, a Large Red Rug and a Decorative Axe are 1,000g each. An L. Light String and a Manicured Pine are 800g each, a House Plant is 700g, an S. Pine is 500g, and the Wood Panel, Log Panel and Wallpaper round things off between 500g and 700g.
The first three slots on the stall rotate. Each one is drawn from its own pool and each can only be bought once a year. The first slot offers a Triple Shot Espresso, a Powdermelon, a Garlic or a Fire Quartz at 2,500g. The second offers a Frozen Tear, a Fried Mushroom, a Duck Egg or a loaf of Bread, also at 2,500g. The third is cheaper at 500g and offers a Cave Carrot, a Perch, a Clam or a Winter Root. A Powdermelon or a Fire Quartz at that price is a poor deal in gold terms, but for a farmer short of one specific item for a bundle it can be the easiest way to finish it.
Notes
Willy has a story to tell if asked. Speaking to him gives the option of hearing the tale of the Winter Star, which is the closest the game comes to explaining where the festival came from.
George has no patience for any of it and shouts "Humbug!" when spoken to, which is a deliberate nod to the most famous miser in English literature.
On the night before the feast, as the shipping summary comes up at the end of the twenty-fourth, Santa Claus rides across the sky behind it with a few reindeer in tow. It is easy to miss, since most farmers click through that screen without looking.
It is entirely possible to draw Mayor Lewis himself. When that happens he still posts the letter telling the farmer who their secret friend is, and still looks surprised when the present arrives.
All Festivals
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
