Quick Links
You live a charming life as a farmer of Pelican Town inStardew Valley. In the valley, you can enjoy a routine of farming, fishing, mining, and mingling with the various villagers. You’ll experience changes in the seasons, breaking your daily patterns, and these will bring a variety of festivals, events, and secrets with them.
One season that the people of the valley experience is winter, which covers the town with a blanket of snow. Along with a cold chill is a series of festivities, including the Feast of the Winter Star where townspeople give each other gifts. This feast holds another secret, however, and finding it grants you a visit from Santa.
Updated July 19, 2025 by Jacqueline Zalace:Want to never miss a gift from Santa in Stardew Valley again? We’ve updated this guide with a few more tips on successfully getting a gift from Santa, as well as the specifics on what you’ll receive.
When Does Santa Fly Over The Valley?
When exactly does this holiday gift-giver come to the valley?On the night of Winter 24,you’ll see Santa fly over the sales menu that appears at the end of each day.
In order to receive the gifts from Santa, you’ll need tocomplete these steps before this night.If you wait until the 25th, Santa will be gone and you won’t get anything. This only happens once a year, so if you are prone to forgetting things like this,you can also set the treats out for Santa in advance.
This is the day before the Feast of the Winter Star, so you won’t easily accidentally skip by this night.
How To Get A Gift From Santa
A secret introduced in the1.6 updatewill have Santa dropping by your farm. You just need toprovide the jolly old fellow with an enticing snack.
In order to get a visit from Santa, you need toleave out someMilkor aCookie. Any size and quality of milk will do. To do this,you’ll need a table- a dining table or an end table will work.
On the nights leading to the Feast of the Winter Star,put your milk or your cookie on the table. You canplace both of them on tablesas well, for an extra surprise.
You can only place one item on a table.Have two tables if you plan to leave out both milk and cookiesfor Santa. Any extra milk or cookies won’t be exchanged; they willremain in place the following day.
How To Get Milk & Cookies
Milk can easily beobtained from cows.At this point in the game, you will most likely have a cow or two. Obtaining cookies is a bit more difficult, but overall, you should easily be able to get them by the end of Winter.
The best way to get cookies is toreach a four-heart friendship with Evelyn, at which point she will send you the recipe for them. When you get the recipe, you can make them with the following items.
Eggs come from chickens,while the other two ingredients can bepurchased directly from Pierre’s shop (you don’t need to mill your own flour in order to make these).
What Gifts Does Santa Leave?
The following days,check on the snack you left outfor Santa. You’ll find thathe may have gifted you aMystery Boxin exchange for each treat you left him.
Santa will only give youup to two Mystery Boxes every year. He’ll give youone for a cup of milk and one for a plate of cookies.
What Is A Mystery Box?
Mystery Boxes are resource boxesthat arecracked open by Clint,similar to geodes that you may find while mining. These boxes hold a wide variety of items,including seeds, saplings, warp totems,and even books.
Interestingly, Mystery Boxes also have aslight chance to contain even more Mystery Boxes.You may get lucky and find more to crack open!
After completing the special order Cave Patrol, you’ll also get therecipe to make your own Geode Crusher.This allows you to process your own geodes and Mystery Boxes without visiting Clint.
