Christmas lights, 2025

Round 16: December 2025

Liv Harris is 27.

(Stella is 61, Deacon is 60, Dawn is 21, Finn is 20.)

Narrated by Liv.

I bought this house earlier this year. I gained access to my trust fund when I turned 25 but it took a long time to find the perfect house because I knew exactly what I wanted. This house just clicked the moment I walked in. I had the floors replaced and the walls painted before I moved in. At first it felt a bit weird to have so much space for myself because I had lived in that tiny apartment ever since I graduated but I really love living here.

I had a studio built upstairs. It's small and I mainly use it to make demos but some of the tracks for my upcoming debut album were actually finalized here. I don't have a huge team, basically it's just me and Tyler working together. He's still working full-time in Max's shop and I have gigs during the weekend so we mostly work during the evenings.

I was supposed to release the album this year but in the end I postponed the release date so I could work more on some of the songs. My studio's really tiny so part of the work is actually carrying instruments in and out. The only thing that stays put is the drums because it would be too much work to keep putting them back together all the time.

I didn't feel like going to my parents' house for Christmas this year so I had a very low key party for two. Jamie and I have been dating a few months and it's going great so I asked if he wanted to come over on Christmas Eve.

We had a nice dinner and then we just hang out around the house. We even danced to some old songs.

Then we just cuddled for the rest of the night and continued doing the same on Christmas Day. I really like Jamie and I'm happy to say he's my boyfriend but I'm not ready to settle down. He's given me some not-so-subtle hints about wanting to get more serious but I just get the urge to run when I think about it.

Mom and dad were a bit upset that I didn't go over their house on Christmas Day so I made it up by inviting the whole family for brunch on Boxing Day. Jamie had stayed over so obviously he joined us too.

Dawn graduated just a few weeks ago and she'll start working at her mom's restaurant in January. I had initially thought about ordering the food from a deli but Dawn offered to help. I'm not going to say no to a meal cooked by her, she's an awesome cook and I have no doubt she'll do great in the restaurant.

It's a bit weird to think that my brother has a 5-year-old daughter and he's just starting his senior year in college. He seems so grown-up, nothing like the messed up kid I was at his age. He and Dawn were going through a rough patch earlier but it seems like they've worked things out. They're so relaxed around each other now and it's so easy to see they're happy and in love.

I got used to my parents not liking my boyfriend when I was dating Niall that I'm always amazed when I see Jamie with them. Mom got along with Niall just fine but she definitely seems to like Jamie more. They talk about movies endlessly and I think mom's trying to convince Jamie to work at some art for her next movie.

I kind of thought that dad would be a jerk to all my boyfriends like he was with Niall but he too likes Jamie a lot. I don't know what they talk about but dad always seems very pleased after their conversations.

My dining table's not big enough for all of us but the kids didn't seem to mind having a table of their own. The food was so delicious and I can't complain about the company either.

I had a small gig early on New Year's eve so I wasn't in the mood for a big party. Jamie and I drove out to see a movie and went to a diner for a quick bite. We were making out in the car when one of his friends tapped on the window with a smirk on her face. Ok, so it's not a very grown-up thing to make out in your car but it's fun!

We decided to get pictures so we ended up in a photo booth at the diner. Things got a bit heated because apparently we're unable to keep our hands off of each other even in public but I don't think anyone guessed what we were doing behind the closed curtain.

The pics turned out great though. I'm definitely going to hang these up on a wall in my study at home. Even though I'm not ready for a big commitment like moving in together, I still enjoy spending time with Jamie and I care about him a lot. The thought of settling down is still too scary for me but I haven't ruled out the possibility of it happening in the future. I just hope he has the patience to wait until I'm ready.

One thing I don't enjoy about living in a big house is the fact that there's a lot of cleaning up to do. I finally got fed up and hired a maid because I felt like all my free time was taken over by household chores.

It's such a luxury to be able to just lounge around in my bed during the day and listen to the maid go around the house. Life is good.


Notes:

• Title reference: Christmas lights by Coldplay.
• Not a very Christmasy update but I don't think that Liv would care to organize a full-blown Christmas with turkey and decorations etc. She also rolled the Woohoo Scavenger Hunt ROS which was interesting to combine with the holiday celebrations. I found it very hard to include in the update but believe me when I say that Liv and Jamie woohooed a lot!
• I was contemplating whether to move Jamie in with Liv but decided against it in the end. Her wants clearly indicate that she's not ready to take that step yet (or ever, who knows). She rolls wants for Jamie but also still a lot of generic romance sim wants so I take it as she cares about Jamie a lot but not enough to fully commit.
• Next up is the January birthdays with lots of new age-ups! I'm so excited!