Winter

Winter in starts in late November and lasts until the 18th of February. Like the other seasons, winter has many unique events and characters, as explained below. Winter follows autumn, and precedes spring.

Events
There are many events that occur in the winter, such as Naughty or Nice Day, Toy Day and the New Year's Countdown. Here is a list of the events, what happens in each, in what game and when.


 * Igloos -
 * Date: All Season
 * Throughout the season, one of the villagers from the player's town may decide to live in an igloo for a day. Players that visit them can chat or play winter games. If the player spends enough time in the igloo, they may receive one of several exclusive snowy gifts. This event is the winter equivalent to the Summer Tent.


 * Lighthouse Watching -
 * Date: January / February
 * The mayor may ask the player to turn on the lighthouse every night for seven nights (one week) as he leaves for vacation in January or February. If the player turns the light on for seven consecutive days, Tortimer will reward the player with either a lighthouse model or a box of chocolates.


 * Naughty or Nice Day -
 * Date: First Saturday of December
 * Tortimer appears by the Town Hall to award the player with a 'stuffed stocking' after being asked if they have been naughty or nice. The player will receive the stocking regardless of what they say.


 * Fishing Tourney -
 * Date: Second Saturday of December, January, and February
 * Chip the fishing ace will set up a stall by the Town Hall, and challenges the villagers of the town to catch the biggest fish. The competition ends at 6:00 PM, whereupon the winner will receive a trophy. A notice will also be put up on the bulletin board announcing the winner.


 * Fishing Tourney -
 * Date: Third Sunday of December
 * The version of the Fishing Tourney is much the same as the event previously mentioned, but there are a few notable differences. This event takes place from 12:00 AM till 6:00 PM, and Tortimer is the head of the competition in place of Chip.


 * Midwinter Day -
 * Date: 21 December
 * Tortimer waits by the Town Hall and gives the player a snowglobe. This event comes with no warning on the bulletin board until the day itself. The 21st is a celebration because it is the day with the shortest sunlight hours in the year.


 * Toy Day -
 * Date: December 23
 * The player can visit the Wishing Well during the day to find and talk to Tortimer, who will then give the player a toy: a dolly if the player is a girl, and a miniature car if the player is a boy.


 * Jingle Comes to Town - and
 * Date: December 24 (Christmas Eve)
 * After 8:00 PM, Jingle the reindeer will distribute presents to players, but only if he fails to recognize them after the initial prize-giving. To do this, the player must change into different outfits.
 * In City Folk, the player may have to search for him inside empty neighbor houses.


 * New Years Eve - and
 * Date: December 31st - January 1st
 * Starting at 6:00 AM on December 31st, Tortimer will stand outside in the plaza with a large countdown clock, handing out party poppers when talked to. The clock counts down the seconds till midnight and is adorned with the town's flag and flashing lights. In the final hour before the new year, villagers will talk about their past year, and the music will change several times, building in tension in the last minute with a beep for every second. After midnight, fireworks will go off in the sky and residents will wish the player a happy New Year.


 * La-Di-Day -
 * Date: Second Saturday of January
 * On this day, the player can hear villagers' suggestions for a new town tune. After the tune is sung to the player, they can decide whether or not they want it saved as the town's new melody.


 * Flea Market - and
 * Date: Fourth Sunday of January
 * Players can visit villagers' homes and buy selected items of furniture. Likewise, villagers can visit the player's house and buy items from them, at a price set by the player.


 * Yay Day -
 * Date: Fourth Sunday of January
 * Villagers swap compliments with the player, and may refer to them infrequently after the event.


 * Valentine's Day - and
 * Date: February 14th
 * In Animal Crossing, the player will receive letters from various villagers. The more the villager likes the player, the better the gift they are given will be.
 * In City Folk, the player will receive a letter from the villager that they are friendliest with. This villager is always of the opposite gender. The letter contains a box of chocolates, which can be eaten.

Characters

 * Snowmen- Snowmen can be made out of snowballs in the winter. If a snowman is made to the correct proportions, he will reward the Player with a piece of Snowman furniture. Snowmen can be spoken to, and stay around the town for three days, melting a bit more every day.
 * Jingle- A reindeer who appears on the 24th of December to distribute presents.
 * Chip- A beaver who holds the Fishing Tourney.
 * Tortimer- The Mayor of the Player's town. He hosts some events.

Weather
The weather of winter is consists mainly of snowy, cloudy days. Snow may fall as soon as late November, but will not settle until early December. With the settling of the snow, snowballs can be found dotted around the town. These can be rolled up and joined together to make snowmen, as described above. After December, there is less snowy weather.

Other Information
During December, all existing cedar trees will be decorated with flashing lights, which alternate between blue, green and red. Any new cedars planted will lack the lights, and after the first week of the year, all lights will disappear.