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The 2025 limited edition candy cane is now available! This sparkling moonlight-blue candy cane wrapped in a glowing purple ribbon fastened by a golden star ornament can be found in the shop through December 26th. In related news, our upcoming New Year’s event will begin one day later than previously announced, starting Sunday, December 28th.
I thought it'd be fun to track whose photo(s) you've received, where you were when they gifted it to you (inside or outside their home), and what gift you gave to get their photo in return.
Photo(s): Molly and Stitches
Location: Inside their home
Gift Given: Molly's was a furniture item, Stitches was a coconut (both wrapped)
Photos: June, Skye, Fang, Chief, Shari, Poncho, Walker
Location: outside
Gift given: honestly can’t remember but all, if not most, were furniture items
I’m making it my mission to get each villager’s photo before I let them leave so I’ve gotten quite a few already haha
Rowan (starter, starter house) - I gave him a cherry-colored wardrobe (no wrapping) while he was inside his house (liked it a lot). I was besties with him later than I was with Fuchsia, but he gave me his photo first.
Fuchsia (starter, starter house) - I accidentally gave her a Bunny Day dress (no wrapping) while she was shopping at the tailor's (not her style, but she wore it for me!).
Photos: June, Skye, Fang, Chief, Shari, Poncho, Walker
Location: outside
Gift given: honestly can’t remember but all, if not most, were furniture items
I’m making it my mission to get each villager’s photo before I let them leave so I’ve gotten quite a few already haha
HAHA I’ve just gotten in the habit of sending them mail with a present, giving them an expensive present etc.
I’ve been pretty lucky coz it’s a pretty low chance of getting it I’ve heard. I don’t tt so it’s been forever since I last went island hopping as a result of me keeping them around tho
HAHA I’ve just gotten in the habit of sending them mail with a present, giving them an expensive present etc.
I’ve been pretty lucky coz it’s a pretty low chance of getting it I’ve heard. I don’t tt so it’s been forever since I last went island hopping as a result of me keeping them around tho
I don't know if it's just a coincidence or not, but I have had an overall easier time with gifting Rowan the stuff that he loves (I have / get so much of it) than I have had with Fuchsia (I know what she likes, but I have less of it)...
And Rowan gave me his picture earlier.
Also, my residents have loved inexpensive items as well. I've had great luck with gifting themed items (matches color, personality, preferences etc) like umbrellas.
Photos: Zucker, Punchy, Raymond (all received in the same week!)
Location: I put them all outside their homes since I want to save my design slots for paths :')
Gifts given:
Zucker: Wrapped fruit (He is the lazy of the 3 you recruit in the beginning)
Raymond: Wrapped fruit (forced smug)
Punchy: Wrapped furniture - Cute Couch in blue - similar to the furniture in his home (9th villager that I found with NMT)
Trying to get Eunice, Alice, and Merry's so I can let them go and have my dream island residents!
Just got my 10th villager's photo yesterday! It was such a good feeling every time one of them handed me their photo. Trying to remember if I was ever given a photo inside someone's house or not... kinda feels like maybe not, but I just don't remember specifically.
In the beginning, I was gifting expensive furniture items (which I now regret), but for the last 3-4 weeks, I've only been giving gift-wrapped foreign fruit. The furniture I gifted earlier on probably got me to higher friendship levels faster, so there's that. I regularly let them buy random fish off of me as well, but I'm not sure if that boosts friendship or not (also regrettable since now they all have multiple fishtanks in their houses).
I sent foreign fruit and/or the occasional piece of clothing to everyone in the mail every day for several weeks, although supposedly the mail system has no effect on friendship.
All my villagers exist because of Amiibos. I've accepted that once I get their picture, I can let them go. Even started a little memorial garden that will house their pictures.
Just got my 10th villager's photo yesterday! It was such a good feeling every time one of them handed me their photo. Trying to remember if I was ever given a photo inside someone's house or not... kinda feels like maybe not, but I just don't remember specifically.
In the beginning, I was gifting expensive furniture items (which I now regret), but for the last 3-4 weeks, I've only been giving gift-wrapped foreign fruit. The furniture I gifted earlier on probably got me to higher friendship levels faster, so there's that. I regularly let them buy random fish off of me as well, but I'm not sure if that boosts friendship or not (also regrettable since now they all have multiple fishtanks in their houses).
I sent foreign fruit and/or the occasional piece of clothing to everyone in the mail every day for several weeks, although supposedly the mail system has no effect on friendship.
My experience with gifting and getting my photos is very similar.
It happened to be that I kept getting all the exercise, workout, and red and orange stuff all at the beginning of the game and some of it was pricey-ish.
Rowan is my jock and so I ended up giving him most of a throwback set because it wasn't my style, it was sports-themed, and I was running out of room.
Turns out, he loved the stuff and even though he's in a starter house, he still keeps all the major furniture pieces out, which makes me happy.
Furniture aside, he's loved a protein shake bottle thing, DIYs, fish, bugs, sports clothes, color-themed clothes, and even pieces of iron.
Also, yes, buying the villagers' items, selling them your items, running their errands, and just talking to them etc do help build friendship as well.
I didn't realize letters / postcards don't count though!
All my villagers exist because of Amiibos. I've accepted that once I get their picture, I can let them go. Even started a little memorial garden that will house their pictures.
You know, I knew that there were photos, but I didn't start to really think about collecting them (or rather, the timeline) until I saw my partner's starter villager unexpectedly ask if he should move out.
The idea of my villagers suddenly moving out freaked me out a little... Which started me down on the path of (more) actively trying to get their photos.
If I could keep something permanent to remind me of them, then them moving out might not feel so bad.
Ha! Same. My jock was my first to give me his photo, both because I was gifting him longer than most of my other villagers, but also because I could offload tons of furniture/equipment I had no interest in on him and he loved it all. Like you said, it was an improvement on his starter house, so win-win!
According to the datamining info we have, those things don't affect friendship, but I think the official game guide says otherwise, so who knows! I figured I'd keep it up, just in case, and because I'd sometimes get a good gift back in the mail.
The idea of my villagers suddenly moving out freaked me out a little... Which started me down on the path of (more) actively trying to get their photos.
If I could keep something permanent to remind me of them, then them moving out might not feel so bad.
Just started and now am planning on getting their photos as well before I let them leave the island, in memory of my first 10 villagers, currently only 5 will stay so I have to get the pictures of the 5 I'm letting go
According to the datamining info we have, those things don't affect friendship, but I think the official game guide says otherwise, so who knows! I figured I'd keep it up, just in case, and because I'd sometimes get a good gift back in the mail.
At some point, Rowan asked me via a letter how to work on his brain muscles as he was afraid of falling behind.
I felt touched that he reached out to me and I also felt bad for him too and so I took this as a hint as to how I might help him and gift him.
I received this letter late at night because I hadn't logged on that morning / day and so I mailed him a stack of books for a present to see if I could gift him "in time" before the new day would roll over.
Fast forward (no TT) a few days and I got a thank you letter from him about that present.
Fast forward a few more weeks (no TT) and I got another letter asking the same thing.
This time, though, I opened my mail during the day, but since I couldn't craft another stack of books or a bookcase, I just gave him a book instead.
He was really happy to get the book and he thanked me for using my kindness muscles and in yet another long letter, he thanked me for inspiring him and he gave me a doorplate with a heart and "welcome".
So, even though the data mining says letters don't affect friendship, my relationship with Rowan really suggests otherwise - especially since his first letter to me was about how he's not good about writing letters!
but I have posters
