You can tell winter is on the way or has already arrived when the skies greys over and it starts to snow. It can snow in other seasons than winter, although winter is when it most likely. They say that there is a chance of a snowstorm in the middle of summer, although I would consider the probability of it to be almost as unlikely as the chance of right-click centering on non-controllable sims and Ctrl+S as a saving hotkey being included in a future TS2 EP or SP.

Apart from snow, other signs of winter are that most of the trees have shed their leaves, your ponds have frozen over and any fruit trees in your garden are now dormant.

Snow can fall but not settle, snow can leave a light covering on the ground or the snow can be very heavy. For some bizarre reason, it is never more than just a light covering by the roadside. Under-road heating in SimCity, perhaps. Either way, your sims need the heavy snow in order to have fun.

If your garden plots have any vegetables growing during winter, unless your gardening sims are very skilled indeed and have a Gold skill badge, you can effectively write off getting any decent produce from when that crop is harvested.

What were previously healthy or thriving plants can become very sickly after a heavy downfall.

Different seasons affect simlife in different ways. Winter is supposed to be the best time of year for your family. Your relationships with family get a bonus when it is Winter.

On top of this, there are plenty of activities that your sims can get up to when there is thick snow on the ground. On the left, we see a sim making a snow angel and on the right, the Gershwin family has decided to make snowmen.

Sims can also have snowball fights or go ice skating. There are two sizes of ice rinks available and in the same way as Nightlife's bowling alleys, these can be purchased for the home but it is more likely to find them on community lots. You can skate alone or with someone else or even try some tricky jumps and spins. Having a good Body skill would help, though, in avoiding uncomfortable and embarrassing falls.

Well, I admit that you can't roast chestnuts on an open fire but now warming your sims by a fireplace or a University bonfire is more than something that looks good. It could save their lives.

Being outside in the winter in long spells, even in Outerwear, can be hazardous for your sim's health. Snowball fights, making snow angels and snowmen can chill a sim to the bone, causing him or her to pass out.

You can tell your sim is getting cold because their thermometer turns green and their skin goes bluish, even in their family icons. This is a rather useful alarm if you are busy with another sim of the family and have neglected to check up on them.

Hot chocolate is recommended as one way to warm your sims up. Unlike the espresso machine which has similar effects, the new hot chocolate machine is available for children to use also. Here we see Karl Dobkin, who doesn't always look as blue as this, enjoying a mug of hot chocolate from the machine behind him.

Another way to to get the body temperature up is through swimming. Apparently, your pools are heating to a constant temperature so they will not freeze over. Swimming works as a great equaliser. If your sims are too hot, a dip in the pool will equalise their temperature. Other means of warming up include inline skating, soaking in a hot tub and for your frisky adults and elders, woohoo is a quick way to heat the body up.

You must be careful not to go to the other extreme and overheat your sims. Then you will have the hassle of cooling them down before they pass out.

Here is just a quick word about a quirky little character who is especially attracted to lots with fish. Mind you, I have seen him come out in winter just for a wander around. He is friendly and can be petted without any risk of your sims being bitten and turning into a "wereguin".

If your fish are mounted on the wall, they may try and fly up to get them. However, I am yet to see one succeed. If you have fish laying on the ground, they may eat a couple of them. They are especially attracted to golden trout.

They are delightful to watch, especially if you have snowmen or scarecrow on your lot. The penguins will stop and have a chat with them. I find them to be cute and quite harmless and a welcome weird feature for this time of year.

I really like to see Winter in TS2, although my crops don't. An advantage of having this season is also that you can time it when to schedule a sim family Christmas or have New Year celebrations. The graphics are really good.

As a downside, when it is snowing, it can slow your game down. We were warned. Sometimes, in my case, it has even stopped it altogether. I am seriously considering investing in another Gigabyte of RAM. However, it can't snow all of the time.