Following earlier rumours about booster packs from surveys, EA has announced what looks like the first one today. The Holiday Party Pack, or the Christmas Party Pack in Europe, contains 40 new decorational items and objects, as well as some assets for Create-A-Sim, all in the theme of the upcoming holidays. Along with the pack EA is also releasing a special Holiday Edition of the Sims 2 will also be released in the US - in the European press release that special edition is not mentioned. Among the 40 items are a mistletoe, stockings, snowmen, wreaths, winter-themed paintings, christmas lights, frosted windows, and reindeer lawn ornaments. Besides the press release there are two information pages on the official site, for the holiday edition and the party pack. On the second page, the following additional information is given:

• Serve a holiday feast for the whole family!
• Get festive and decorate your Sim's house with Mistletoe, Stockings, Snowmen, Wreaths, Winter-themed Paintings and more! Complete the house exterior with Christmas Lights, Frosted Windows, and Reindeer Lawn Ornaments.
• Dress up as Santa or Mrs. Claus and experience their arrival on Christmas Eve.
• Throw a happening New Year's Eve party and don't forget to set off some fireworks!
• Includes all 12 objects featured in The Sims 2 Holiday Giveaway.
• Also includes previously released holiday favorites from Easter, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and Halloween.

If last year's holiday items are included in the count of 40, as well as the 12 objects for the Giveaway, is not mentioned specifically. The Giveaway objects will be made available for download on the official site as well. The release date for this bonus pack is set to 17 or 18 November, though the date may vary depending on where you live. In the US it gets a T for Teen rating by ESRB, and in Europe the PEGI rates the pack with 12+. The holiday edition of the Sims 2, available for a limited time only, will be available for the usual retail price of around $40 - the price for just the bonus content is not mentioned. More information can be found in the press release (American). In the European version the name is slightly different, as well as release date (18 November instead of 17 November) and the rating, and the information about the special edition is left out.

Finally there are some screenshots and artworks of the pack, including a pack shot of the holiday edition. Click the thumbnails below for larger versions. The last 6 images from the information page are in their original sizes already and thus cannot be enlarged.