It’s almost that time of year again: the snow is falling, the bells are jingling, and the animals are…partying? At least in the wild world of Animal Crossing, they are. As my fellow Crossers know, December 24th marks Toy Day in the Animal Crossing series. This year, those of us not from Japan will be celebrating for the first time on the Nintendo 3DS with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The holiday may be nothing new for seasoned players, but we can expect to experience it differently as we further fulfill our role as Mayor.
This year, the sparkly-eyed Santa reindeer known as Jingle has decided to hand over the reins to the player. Normally, you would see Jingle on the special day and receive an item from the Jingle Series furniture set. This time, he’ll be watching over you as you take on the role of Santa yourself and deliver presents to your animal villagers. It takes a bit of preparation to pull off the perfect Toy Day, so here are a few things to keep in mind.
As any good Santa knows, everyone has a holiday wish list so throughout the month of December, the villagers will be dropping hints about what they would like to receive. Make sure to keep these in mind so you can give them the perfect present. Also during this winter month, you may notice that the stores are selling a full Santa outfit, including a hat, shirt, pants, beard, and boots. You’ll need to wear these when delivering presents on Toy Day to give the animals the full Santa experience. Finally, don’t worry about missing out on the Jingle Series furniture set this year as the Nooklings have picked up the slack and are selling it piece-by-piece at their store.
Just in case you thought being Santa was all give and no take, never fear! After delivering all of the presents and returning to Jingle, you are rewarded for your good deeds with a festive item. Furthermore, if you successfully gave at least seven animals the perfect present, Jingle will send you a photograph of him the next day. This festive gift-giving holiday officially starts at 6 P.M. on the 24th. You can find Jingle wandering around the Town Tree, waiting to hand you his magic sack of gifts. Don’t miss out on one of the last big Animal Crossing celebrations before turning over a new leaf in the new year.