We at Simmerville web want to wish you all a Merry Christmas! Add something extra to this year's celebrations with help from Mrs Grumblin, sharing an old porridge recipe which also includes an ancient ritual!

We all have joyful memories connected to the old Christmas Porridge that Sims have been serving for generations. I recall the magical moment when as a little girl, on Christmas Day finding plates with porridge all over our house. You probably share some of the memories.

What is the main differences, Mrs Grumblin? I mean we all know the porridge, has the recipe been changed over the years?

- Oh, there's so many differences compared to the porridge you can buy in the store. The old Christmas Porridge was part of an important ritual, and therefore some of it's ingredients should be handled in odd ways before the porridge was made. Like the milk, it should be boiled outdoor because one believed it would raise the garden room score for the coming year.

Please tell us about that ritual. I remember it from my own childhood, although I never practiced it as a grown up. Perhaps other Sims are not familiar with it.

- Naturally. This is actually a very old tradition, I think it's known from the Ancient SimNation where it was used to satisfy the eight Sim gods, you know. But even when I was a girl, which already is quite some time ago, I recall we proceeded the old ritual, but I can not remember anyone mentioning the eight gods.

This ritual must be done on the day when you expect Santa Sim to visit your household. Before daylight comes, 8 plates of the Christmas Porridge must be placed all over the house, if you don't have enough surfaces, use the floor. Then, the clue is whether all eight plates will be eaten voluntarily during the day - before daylight leaves. It's important that nobody are told to eat, it should all happen on everyone's free will. Do not clean any of the plates after eating the porridge, but leave them. Make sure not to serve any other meals this day, and if your household is a small one, invite over some friends to help with the eating.

If everything goes well, all 8 plates are eaten. When it gets dark, you shall check on all 8 plates, if they are all empty, it means your household has pleased all eight gods and the Christmas experience will be great for you all. For each plate which is still full or removed and cleaned, the glory of this prophecy will fade a little. My mother used to say that if more than 3 plates were untouched, we might need to consider cancelling the celebrations, and if all 8 were eaten, the prophecy would even last for the whole Winter.

Note that the plates shall not be moved except when eating the porridge. So make sure you don't place them on surfaces you know will be needed during the day. And it's also a good idea to go early to bed after serving the 9th plate for Santa Sim.

Thank you, Mrs Grumblin. I'm sure this old ritual will become pretty popular again this year!