diff --git a/Game/data/themes/alt_theme.json b/Game/data/themes/alt_theme.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae0857a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Game/data/themes/alt_theme.json
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+{
+    "background_data": [
+        {
+            "background_name": "alt_background",
+            "background_scale": "tile",
+            "background_sprite": "background_sample",
+            "background_sprite_16x9": "",
+            "tileMoveSpeedX": 50,
+            "tileMoveSpeedY": 100
+        }
+    ],
+    "themes": [
+        {
+            "back_board": "back_board_sample_snow",
+            "background_name": "alt_background",
+            "decoration_name": "smilies",
+            "theme_name": "snow"
+        }
+    ]
+}
diff --git a/source/code/themes.cpp b/source/code/themes.cpp
index bb0b016..24f4f0d 100644
--- a/source/code/themes.cpp
+++ b/source/code/themes.cpp
@@ -27,12 +27,53 @@ https://www.blockattack.net
 #include <vector>
 #include <map>
 #include "nlohmann/json.hpp"
+#include <iostream>
+#include "global.hpp"
 
 using json = nlohmann::json;
 
 
+void to_json(json& j, const ImgScale& p) {
+	switch (p) {
+	case ImgScale::Stretch:
+		j = "stretch";
+		break;
+	case ImgScale::Tile:
+		j = "tile";
+		break;
+	case ImgScale::Resize:
+		j = "resize";
+		break;
+	case ImgScale::Cut:
+		j = "cut";
+		break;
+	default:
+		j = "stretch";
+		break;
+	}
+}
+
+void from_json(const json& j, ImgScale& p) {
+	std::string s = j;
+	if (s == "stretch") {
+		p = ImgScale::Stretch;
+	}
+	else if (s == "tile") {
+		p = ImgScale::Tile;
+	}
+	else if (s == "resize") {
+		p = ImgScale::Resize;
+	}
+	else if (s == "cut") {
+		p = ImgScale::Cut;
+	}
+	else {
+		p = ImgScale::Stretch;
+	}
+}
+
 void to_json(json& j, const BackGroundData& p) {
-	j = json{ {"background_name", p.name}, {"background_sprite", p.background_sprite} };
+	j = json{ {"background_name", p.name}, {"background_sprite", p.background_sprite}, {"background_sprite_16x9", p.background_sprite_16x9}, {"background_scale", p.background_scale}, {"tileMoveSpeedX", p.tileMoveSpeedX}, {"tileMoveSpeedY", p.tileMoveSpeedY} };
 }
 
 void to_json(json& j, const Theme& p) {
@@ -47,6 +88,38 @@ void to_json(json& j, const ThemeFileData& p) {
 	j = json{ {"background_data", p.background_data}, {"decoration_data", p.decoration_data}, {"themes", p.themes} };
 }
 
+void from_json(const json& j, BackGroundData& p) {
+	j.at("background_name").get_to(p.name);
+	j.at("background_sprite").get_to(p.background_sprite);
+	j.at("background_sprite_16x9").get_to(p.background_sprite_16x9);
+	j.at("background_scale").get_to(p.background_scale);
+	j.at("tileMoveSpeedX").get_to(p.tileMoveSpeedX);
+	j.at("tileMoveSpeedY").get_to(p.tileMoveSpeedY);
+}
+
+void from_json(const json& j, Theme& p) {
+	j.at("theme_name").get_to(p.theme_name);
+	j.at("back_board").get_to(p.back_board);
+	j.at("background_name").get_to(p.background.name);
+	j.at("decoration_name").get_to(p.decoration.name);
+}
+
+void from_json(const json& j, DecorationData& p) {
+	j.at("name").get_to(p.name);
+	j.at("decoration_sprites").get_to(p.decoration_sprites);
+}
+
+void from_json(const json& j, ThemeFileData& p) {
+	if (j.contains("background_data")) {
+		j.at("background_data").get_to(p.background_data);
+	}
+	if (j.contains("decoration_data")) {
+		j.at("decoration_data").get_to(p.decoration_data);
+	}
+	if (j.contains("themes")) {
+		j.at("themes").get_to(p.themes);
+	}
+}
 
 
 
@@ -57,6 +130,37 @@ static bool initialized = false;
 static size_t current_theme = 0;
 
 
+static void FillMissingFields(Theme& theme) {
+	if (theme.background.name.empty()) {
+		//If the theme does not define a background then use the standard.
+		theme.background.name = "standard";
+	}
+	theme.background = background_data[theme.background.name];
+}
+
+static void ReadThemeDataFromFile(const char* filename) {
+	if (globalData.verboseLevel) {
+		std::cout << "Reading theme data from " << filename << "\n";
+	}
+	std::string s = sago::GetFileContent(filename);
+	json j = json::parse(s);
+	ThemeFileData tfd = j;
+	for (auto& bg : tfd.background_data) {
+		background_data[bg.name] = bg;
+	}
+	for (auto& dec : tfd.decoration_data) {
+		decoration_data[dec.name] = dec;
+	}
+	for (const Theme& theme : tfd.themes) {
+		if (globalData.verboseLevel) {
+			std::cout << "Adding theme " << theme.theme_name << "\n";
+		}
+		themes.push_back(theme);
+		FillMissingFields(themes.back());
+	}
+}
+
+
 static void InitBackGroundData() {
 	BackGroundData standard;
 	standard.name = "standard";
@@ -64,25 +168,10 @@ static void InitBackGroundData() {
 	standard.background_sprite_16x9 = "background_sixteen_nine";
 	standard.background_scale = ImgScale::Stretch;
 	background_data[standard.name] = standard;
-	BackGroundData alt_background;
-	alt_background.name = "alt_background";
-	alt_background.background_sprite = "background_sample";
-	alt_background.background_sprite_16x9 = "";
-	alt_background.background_scale = ImgScale::Tile;
-	alt_background.tileMoveSpeedX = 50;
-	alt_background.tileMoveSpeedY = 100;
-	background_data[alt_background.name] = alt_background;
 	DecorationData smileys;
 	decoration_data[smileys.name] = smileys;
 }
 
-static void FillMissingFields(Theme& theme) {
-	if (theme.background.name.empty()) {
-		//If the theme does not define a background then use the standard.
-		theme.background.name = "standard";
-	}
-	theme.background = background_data[theme.background.name];
-}
 
 
 void DumpThemeData() {
@@ -103,15 +192,11 @@ void InitThemes() {
 	if (initialized) {
 		return;
 	}
+	initialized = true;
 	InitBackGroundData();
 	themes.resize(1);  //Add the default theme
 	FillMissingFields(themes[0]);
-	Theme snow;
-	snow.theme_name = "snow";
-	snow.back_board = "back_board_sample_snow";
-	snow.background.name = "alt_background";
-	FillMissingFields(snow);
-	themes.push_back(snow);
+	ReadThemeDataFromFile("themes/alt_theme.json");
 	DumpThemeData();
 }