The holiday season has started in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and along with snowy trees and holiday events, players can consider joining a community-organized New Horizons advent calendar gift exchange. While there has been a lull in the New Horizons community due to a slow year for events, the recent 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise DLC have offered new ways for players to engage with their islands. This also includes a number of new decorations and items that could make the perfect gifts for the advent calendar swap.
December and January have two distinct events for players to look forward to. Just a few weeks after the snow starts falling in New Horizons, players will be able to participate in Toy Day, helping Jingle deliver toys to the island's inhabitants for special rewards. At the end of the month, the New Year's Eve event allows players to celebrate the start of the new year together with other players, as well as their island villagers. However, outside of these two big events, the holiday season can be long and cold for Animal Crossing fans.
To help brighten the season, Reddit user CriticalBlackberry49 posted a community-driven advent calendar idea to count down through the month of December. The Reddit post explains how two or more players can swap a gift a day, giving each participating player at least one gift to open each morning in their mailbox. Thanks to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons mailing system, this can be without the hassle of traveling to other islands, allowing players to easily participate with as many friends as they wish.
New Horizons Advent Calendars Can Help Fill Out Missing Decorations
To help limit the chance of gifting items a player may already possess, CriticalBlackberry49 suggests asking those interested in participating in the New Horizons advent calendar swaps to share basic information about their own home islands. This includes island themes, future design plans, native fruit and flowers, and missing Animal Crossing gyroids, art, and fossils. This will allow those participating to come up with thoughtful gift ideas meant to expand player item catalogs, as well as limit the potential for lackluster exchanges. Another exchange idea could be helping players collect seasonal items like snowflakes and winter DIYs. This will ensure that everyone participating in the advent calendar swap has the best chance of completing their holiday decoration arsenal.
To add to the fun of Animal Crossing this December, an advent calendar swap could also let players plan to organize a special party on one participant's island at the conclusion of gift-giving. Here, players could swap one last gift, show off items they particularly liked, or even switch gifts that may not have worked for their own island themes. Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers players numerous ways to invent creative celebrations like an advent calendar exchange, allowing fans to connect no matter the distance.
Source: CriticalBlackberry49/Reddit