When you’re a new Animal Crossing player, the first thing you want to do is get your hands on the latest update for the game. But what if you don’t have time to wait for the update to come out? You can always send gifts to your friends and family using the in-game gift box. To start, open up your gift box and select one of the following items: a key ring, a watch, or a book. Once you’ve selected an item, click on the “add” button next to it and enter your recipient’s email address. You can also type in their name if you want to give them a more personal gift. Once you’ve sent your gift, make sure to check in on your friends and family’s Animal Crossing status! If they’re online and have an animal in their house, they’ll receive a notification that their animal has been given a new toy ornamment. If they’re offline or have an animal out of town, they won’t receive any notifications until their animal returns.
Toy Day Gifts
You can purchase toys and other special gifts at Nook’s Cranny Dec. 1-25, and Dec. 24 is the big Toy Day event. Expect to see plenty of festive, holiday-themed decorations popping up on your island throughout the month at the Resident Services plaza, Nook’s Cranny, and more.
The Toy Day items that appear in Nook’s Cranny will come in different color variations. As with most holiday-themed items, you can only pick up one particular color variation for each item from your own Nook’s Cranny store, so check back regularly to collect them all.
Additionally, decorated trees around your island might drop special ornaments when you shake them. If you collect enough of them, you’ll also receive special Christmas-themed DIY recipes throughout December.
As the snow slowly begins to accumulate on your island, special snowflakes will also fall from the sky. If you catch them with your net, you can collect even more winter-themed DIY recipes.
Sending Gifts via the Postal Service
Sending mail to the residents in the Animal Crossing franchise has always been a big deal. Now, you can even send customized postcards to the people on your Nintendo Switch friends list.
Starting Dec. 1, you can visit Nook’s Cranny to pick up toys and gifts to send to your friends and family who are either on your island or on your friends list. If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can also pick up some wrapping paper at Nook’s Cranny (it’s in the cabinet), and wrap your gift before sending it.
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A single sheet of wrapping paper normally costs 160 Bells and a bundle of five costs 800, depending on the pattern.
To wrap a gift, open your inventory with the X button on your right Joy-Con controller, and then select the wrapping paper. Choose “Wrap” from the menu, and then select the item in your inventory you want to wrap. That’s all there is to it!
When you first visit the Dodo airport, Orville will fill you in on the postal services he offers. To the right of his desk, you’ll see a rack of envelopes you can send to friends for 200 Bells. Make sure you’re connected to the internet and approach the postcard rack. Choose “Send one” from Orville’s menu to choose a friend from your list.
You can send a postcard to an animal resident or another player on your island, your future self, or anyone on your in-game friends list. After you select a recipient, you can customize your postcard.
An assortment of holiday-themed postcards will be available from early December through early January. Be sure to pick up your favorites while you have the chance!
You can customize your postcards by typing a personalized message. If you send one to an animal resident on your island, they might even respond!
After you type your message, press the plus sign (+) button on your right Joy-Con controller to see a preview of it. You can then choose to continue writing, store the message to send later, or you can cancel sending the card by pressing the minus sign (-) button on your left Joy-Con controller.
After you finish typing your message, you can attach a present. At the bottom right of the Nintendo Switch screen, click the icon that looks like a gift. Select the item you want to attach from your inventory, and then select “OK” to send your postcard.
Your recipient will receive it in their mailbox the next day.
Remember to jump into the game on Christmas day to spot Jingle the Reindeer and join in on all the festive activities! Hopefully, the new toys will help you get into the holiday spirit while you wait.
