CHRISTMAS 2023: Nintendo it’s Cold Outside, Let’s Set That MOOD.
The whole daylight savings “turn the clock back an hour” thing this time of year really seems to be rough for all of those outgoing, extroverted, weekend warrior, morning person types, but I LOVE it. The main issue is apparently that nighttime has taken over and there’s now a tragic shortage of daylight. Well, that’s kinda my jam so it’s pretty exciting when nature finally decides to provide a nonstop blanket of cold and darkness. For me, it signals that the winter season is officially upon us and along with it a time filled with beautiful lights, nostalgic sounds, comforting smells and of course big holiday Nintendo releases.
Whenever I get excited about a Nintendo game (currently Super Mario Wonder), of course it’s because I can’t wait to play it but also because I can’t wait to listen to it. With first party games, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have your ears blown back with some fantastic compositions. The same can be said for many of the big developers: Your Capcoms and your Squares and Konami’s and whatnot (a much larger conversation). And thanks to an impeccably chosen playlist from AlexPlayz over on the old YouTube, there’s an absolutely stellar soundtrack filled with gorgeous music from games made specifically by Nintendo, spanning multiple consoles to accompany and heighten this very atmosphere.
Soothing themes from games like Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime, Earthbound, Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye, Paper Mario, Pokemon, Animal Crossing and of course many more are all present, just dripping with that late winter night vibe.
Here’s how I like to do it:
Sights: Turn off everything outside of some Christmas string lights and if you have the means, throw some wood onto the fireplace (or play an HD fireplace video on your laptop if this isn’t an option). Here:
Sounds: Mmmm, kinda obvious right?
Smells: Growing up, we used to take a big soup pot and fill it halfway with water. Dice up both an orange and apple into about 8 slices each, drop them in alongside a generous dosage of cloves and a couple of cinnamon sticks. Let that water get to the boiling point then turn the stove off and allow the aroma to steam out, it’s some lo-fi time travel shit. Either that or light up some Nag Champa, that works too.
All that’s left to do is to pour yourself a warm/stiff drink, stir those ingredients up into a pot and get ready for some damn ambience.
