Week 155: Switch 2 and Christmas Card Lane

Week 155: Dec 21st-27th, 2025

I hope everyone's holiday season is going well. I know mine has been pretty good, especially because Santa (my boyfriend) got me a very generous gift for Christmas of a Nintendo Switch 2!

For a few years, I have commandeered - ahem, I mean, borrowed - my dad's Switch that was gifted to him by my sister. I have been using the Switch a TON, especially recently since Nintendo announced the January 2026 update for Animal Crossing (see Week 150 for more on that). On the Switch, according to my Nintendo profile, I have clocked around 210 hours on Stardew Valley and over 535 on Animal Crossing: New Horizons so far.

Even though the processing power can be a bit disappointing, and some games don't run as well as they should, I have been perfectly content with the Switch. I was lucky that my dad even let me take it off his hands (hands that were NOT using it at all at the time, for what its worth), and have found a lot of joy in both cozy single player games as well as the occasional Mario Kart or Mario Party with friends. So, I was shocked when I saw that my gift from my boyfriend was a Switch 2. I was not expecting that at all, and now my gifts to my boyfriend seem a bit lack luster... Plus, now more of my time will be spent playing video games, but I guess he doesn't mind. To go alongside the Switch 2, I also got another gift of a game called Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar to immediately start playing.

Most farming simulator games are quite similar, following the Stardew Valley model of four seasons and seasonal crops, relationships with the NPCs and quests to unlock more items as you progress through the story. What I like so far about Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is that there is a bazaar every Saturday in game, so you spend the week preparing crops and items to sell for extra money. I also really love the Nature Sprites and think they are super adorable. The game is quite "grind-y" like Stardew is, where you are pressed for time every in-game day and have to maximize the waking hours as best you can to get the most profit.

I only have a few hours so far playing Story of Seasons, but I look forward to unlocking more things and figuring out the weird mayor NPC. In terms of the Switch 2 compared to the Switch, it runs incredibly well and the screen is massive. The graphics seem more crisp, and overall the usability of the controllers and the accessories feels more accessible. I especially like the change they've made to the Joy-Con 2 controllers not having to slide onto the unit. I also loved how easy it was to transfer all of my data and games from the Switch to the Switch 2. I was nervous that my 500+ hours spent on my Animal Crossing island might be lost, but I am happy to report I kept my island and all my hard work and can access it perfectly fine on Switch 2.

Soon I'll have to get a screen protector and case for my new Switch 2, and I can finally return my dad's Switch to him. Now that he's retired, maybe he will actually pick it up and play it! Of course, that will have to be when he returns from a very exciting birding adventure in Africa.

Bonus: My boyfriend and I drove around Christmas Card Lane up in Rancho Penasquitos, (we would have walked, but it was raining) and saw this ridiculous "67" house. I wish the house next door had a Grinch set up that said "89," like this iconic Grinch did.

Extra Bonus: I also enjoyed some delicious fried chicken at my sister's house while my parents were briefly in town before the holiday.

See you next week And next year! 2026, here we come!