Here we are looking ahead to the month of December and breaking down everything we can expect to see over the last few weeks of 2022. 

Animal Crossing New Horizons December Winter Updates & Changes

On Animal Crossing New Horizons, Despite the snowy winter months, the festive atmosphere and plethora of activities make life on our island full and enjoyable. Anyway, December is jam-packed with content and Events, so let’s jump into it.

ACNH December Events 2022

Now as you’d expect the first month of a new Season brings with it a few exciting Events. The first Holiday Event is of course Toy Day which sees Jingle stop by to host the gift-giving Holiday.

Toy Day (December 24th)

On December 24th, if we speak with Jingle we’ll have the opportunity to use the Magic Bag to delivery gifts to all of our Villagers. During this time we’ll also be able to obtain the Wrapping Paper Recipe, the Toy Day Stockings, the Gift-Pile Recipe and the Toy Day Sleigh if we complete the Event. There’s no real preparation needed for this Event, you can just take part on the day.

New Year Countdown (December 31st)

The second Holiday Event is of course the New Years' Countdown. On Dec 31st, the final day of the year, a huge Countdown timer will appear at the Plaza in preparation for New Year. Isabelle and Tom Nook will be outside celebrating, offering up limited-time items such as Nightsticks, Party Poppers and New Years Hats. Assuming you haven’t traded with anyone, these hats will be different from the last 2 years. At midnight all the villagers will be at the

plaza celebrating the New Year and a Fireworks show will take place. It’s pretty awesome, you don’t want to miss it! Plus if this is your first ever New Years in the game, there’s even some Nook Miles in it for you.

ACNH December Seasonal Events & Items 2022

Now, alongside the Holiday Events, December has a bunch of Seasonal Events to enjoy. These are broken down into 3 categories. 

The Solstice (December 15th - 22nd)

The Winter and Summer Solstice, depending on which Hemisphere you’re in can be celebrated from December 15th, through to December 22nd and several items can be obtained from the Nook Stop. These include the Midwinter Sweater, the Aurora Wall, the Bathtub with Yuzu and the Tangyuan in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Sunflower Crown, the Sunflower Rug, the Sunflower Glasses and the Maypole in the Southern Hemisphere. Don’t worry, you can get the other items from friends islands or wait until the opposite Solstice next June.

New Years Eve (December 22nd - 31st)

New Years Eve celebrations begin December 22nd and run through to December 31st. This celebration honors several real-world holidays from various regions and adds a bunch New Years Eve items including the New Years Noodles, the Berliner, the Twelve Grape Dish, the Olivier Salad and the Sparkling Cider or Fizzy Apple Juice, as it’s known in some regions.

New Year's Day (December 22nd - January 5th)

The New Years Day celebrations begin at the same time, December 22nd, but run longer, with items being available until January 5th. Again, celebrating New Years in many regions, the items available include the Kadomatsu, the Kagamimochi, the New Years Shimekazari, the Otoshidama Envelope, the Osechi, the Yut Nori and the Zodiac Figurine which should be the Rabbit this year. As of recording this, there’s no sign of a 2023 Celebratory Arch, but if one is added between now and then, it will be available at the same time.

Bug Off (December 17th)

Now, something the Southern Hemisphere has to look forward to, is of course the final Bug Off of the year. As usual during the Spring and Summer months, the Bug-Off takes place on the 3rd Saturday of the month.

So on December 17th, in the Southern Hemisphere, Flick stops by to host the tourney. During this time, you’ll be challenged with catching as many Bugs as you can within a time-limit, and basically exchanging them for prizes, including the Artisanal Bug Cage, the Bug Cage Bag and the Ladybug Rug, amongst others.

You can also win 1 of 3 Trophies for taking part too, which is a great opportunity to win a different kind of trophy if you’ve already entered in the past.

More December Seasonal Items

So, we’ve covered Holiday Events, Seasonal Celebrations and Characters, so we can’t continue until we’ve covered some of the Seasonal Items available from Nooks. 

Collectible Toys (December 1st - December 25th)

In the lead up-to the Holidays, some Collectible Toys are available in the Seasonal Section at Nooks. These include the Dinosaur Toy, the Dollhouse, the Kids Tent, the Mini Circuit, the Pop-Up Book, the Puppy Plushie, the RC Helicopter and the Tin Robot. All of these are available from December 1st, through to December 25th and are quite special, because they are all interactive. Now, to bust a myth here, you do not need to buy these to gift to Villagers for Christmas, to complete the Jingle Event.The Magic Bag provides those for you. These are just extra toys you can buy, and gift, if you want to.

Post Cards (December 20th - January 10th)

Now, it is the season for giving or in our case sending, so we can’t forget the seasonal Post Cards that are available inside the Post Off - Air Port for a limited time.

Post Cards such as the Acorn, Carpet of Leaves, Mushroom and Turkey Day cards are no-longer available from the end of November, but in their place you can use the Festive-Tree, the Holiday and the Warm-Sweater Cards from November 20th through to January 10th, as well as the Snowflake, the Snowperson, the Town-View and the Winter Camelia Cards from November 26th, through to February 24th. If you’re not going to be able to play over the holidays, it’s a great way to send your Villagers some presents.

ACNH December Winter Seasonal Materials & DIYs 2022

Now, as you can tell December is already a pretty busy month, with a bunch of Events, Seasonal Celebrations, and of course Snow, but it’s about to get even busier because several new Crafting Materials are about to begin spawning.

Acorns & Pinecones DIY Recipes (September 1st - December 11th)

The Acorns and Pine Cones continue to spawn during the light Snowfall, but will stop once the snow settles and heavy Snowfall begins, which is around December 11th. 

Snowflakes & Ice DIY Recipes (December 11 - February 24)

Once Snow has settled, Snowflakes start spawning in their place, and can be caught using Nets. These can be used to craft items from the small Snowflakes Series, such as the Snowflake Wreath, the Snowflake Wall and the Snowflake Pochette, amongst others. Their corresponding seasonal recipes can be found from Balloons and Bottles. Both the Snowflakes and the Recipes will continue to be available through to February 24th.

Festive Ornaments DIY Recipes (December 15 - January 6)

After a few days of heavy snow, the Cedar Trees are decorated with lights, and the Red, Blue and Gold Ornaments begin spawning. These are used to craft items from the Festive Series, including the Illuminated Present and the Giant Ornament, amongst others. These items, along with the Ornament Recipes can be found from December 15th, through to January 6th, so much less time than the Snowflakes.

Snowboy DIY Recipes (December 11 - February 24)

Now, Snowboy is of course the Snowman Character that makes an appearance when it Snows. And he actually introduces another Seasonal Crafting Material, and another Furniture series. From December 11th through to February, we can roll and merge Snowballs to create a Snowboy. If you make a perfect Snowboy, which is easy to do if you follow the guide on screen now, you earn a Large Snowflake and a DIY Recipe for an item from the Frozen Series, which somewhat overlaps with the Snowflake Series too. There are lots of cool items here, and they can all be customized into amazing colors, so be sure to build as many perfect snow boys as possible.

ACNH December Critters (New Fish, Sea Creatures, Bugs)

Now, you guessed it, it wouldn’t be a monthly changes video without reminding players in both hemisphere’s that we have a new selection of Bugs, Fish, and Deep Sea Creatures to catch. 

• Players in the Northern Hemisphere will encounter 9 new creatures. The Most notable include the Dung Beetle, the Stringfish, and the Lobster, amongst others.

• Players in the Southern Hemisphere have it a little tougher, given it’s Summer, and will encounter 25 new critters. Blathers will be happy. The most notable include the Rainbow Stag, the Great White Shark, and the Tiger Prawn, amongst others.

ACNH December Scenery Changes

Now, December not only marks a brand new month but also a brand new Season, which is of course Winter, here in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Weather

Winter brings with it all-new Weather Patterns and of course Snow Fall. Light Snow begins falling from November 26th as Autumn transitions into Winter. After a couple of weeks of light Snow Showers, the heavy Snowfall begins, and it starts to settle. From December 11th our Islands are going to be completely covered in Snow. It’s pretty exciting, and definitely one of the most beautiful times of year! Of course, the opposite is happening in the Southern Hemisphere, as December marks the start of Summer.

Bushes

Now something I always like to cover in these monthly videos is of course the Bushes. Surprisingly, despite it being a new Season, there’s not much change here in the Northern Hemisphere.

That’s because Holly Bushes began flowering before November, and will continue to bloom until the end of the year. However, players in the Southern Hemisphere will see a few changes, because the Pink and

White Azalea Bushes stop spawning at the end of November, with 2 new bushes blooming in their place.

From December 1st, Blue and Pink Hydrangea Bushes start to flower as well as Pink and White Plumeria Bushes.

The Hydrangea’s continue to bloom until January, and the Plumeria bushes bloom until March.