The end of the year at last! Winter is a long slog, but Spring is just around the corner - and the residents of Stardew Valley celebrate the finale of the year in style, with the Feast of the Winter Star. Everyone gathers in town square, swaps presents, and is generally grateful for what is to come next year.
The Feast of the Winter Star takes place on the 25th of Winter each year. You’ll get reminders about the Feast one week in advance, and then again one day before the event. A good thing, too, as you need to do some searching in that time to make the most of the Feast.
Secret Not-Santa
The main event of the Feast is the secret gift-giving event. When you first receive notification of the Feast you’ll also receive the name of one of the villagers, and it’s your job to find a present they’ll like. Approach them at the Feast and you can hand over your gift, receiving a boost in affection commensurate to how much they like it. These gifts are tied to their general likes and dislikes, so go with what you know about the person. The affection boost is roughly equivalent to giving someone a present on their birthday.
Here's a list of what everyone in the Valley generally likes to get. This is a straight cop-and-paste job, because I'm lazy, so not everyone on this list is going to attend the Feast of the Winter Star.
- Abigail - Amethyst, Pumpkin, Cheese, Honey
- Alex - Complete Breakfast, Mayonnaise, Honey
- Caroline - Corn, Diamond, Ruby, Honey, Cheese
- Clint - Emerald, Ruby, Corn, Cheese, Mayonnaise
- Demetrius - Strawberry, Grape, Amethyst, Blackberry
- Dwarf - Diamond, Fire Quartz, Emerald, any of the Dwarven Artifacts
- Elliott - Duck Feather, Amethyst, Corn, Grape
- Emily - Emerald, Aquamarine, Jade, Amethyst
- Evelyn - Diamond, Cheese, Corn, Daffodil
- George - Cheese, Hot Pepper, Leek, Honey, Mayonnaise
- Gus - Orange, Diamond, Cheese, Corn, Mayonnaise
- Haley - Sunflower, Diamond, Ruby, Aquamarine, pretty much every foraged flower
- Harvey - Grape Wine, Amethyst, Mayonnaise
- Jas - Ice Cream, Amethyst, Pancakes
- Jodi - Pancakes, Diamond, Pizza, Sashimi
- Kent - Beer, Daffodil, Clam
- Leah - Wine (every one I've tried works), Blackberry, Mayonnaise, Honey
- Lewis - Hot Pepper, Cactus Fruit, Corn, Blueberry
- Linus - Coconut, Cactus Fruit, Cheese, Honey, virtually every foraged food
- Marnie - Diamond, Sweet Pea, Honet, Mayonnaise, Amaranth
- Maru - Diamond, Cheese, Amethyst, Ruby, Topaz
- Pam - Beer, Cactus Fruit, Blackberry, Emerald
- Penny - Diamond, Emerald, Mayonnaise, Amethyst
- Pierre - Sashimi, Eggplant, any Wine
- Robin - Cheese, Pizza, Honey
- Sam - Pizza, Cactus Fruit, Diamond, Cheese
- Sandy - Any flowers from Stardew Valley (Daffodil, Sweet Pea, Crocus)
- Sebastian - Void Egg, Quartz / Fire Quartz, Sashimi
- Shane - Beer, Hot Pepper, Corn, any Milk
- Vincent - Grape, Ice Cream, Daffodil, Clam
- Willy - Diamond, Pumpkin, fish in general (the rarer, the better - the best response I got was to a Catfish)
- Wizard - Solar / Void Essence, Diamond, Emerald
Once you’ve given your gift away your own gift-giver will pop up and hand over a present of their own. This, too, I assume is tied with their affection towards you, but I haven’t had enough of a chance to test the mechanic yet.
The Feast is over once you’ve given away your present, and aside from cavorting with everyone (Willy has an interesting story to tell), you’re free to head home and end the day.