October is nearing its end with Halloween and all of its associated festivities on the horizon in both real life and in Pokemon GO. With many parts of the game's Halloween additions already being in effect, players can already begin to wonder about what will be there for the December holiday season.
There are already multiple Pokemon that can be associated with Christmas that have already been added to Pokemon GO. Additionally, there have been multiple winter holiday events that have taken place in the game's history.
With the bumpy road that has been the year 2020, it is still unknown what to expect this year. With the Halloween event being released smoothly, the winter holiday event will also likely go over well. However, there is still plenty of time to speculate on what might occur this December as well as create a wish list.
Special Holiday Themed Gifts
Players in Pokemon GO have been able to give trainers on their friend lists gifts for quite some time now. Considering that many practice the exchanging of gifts for both Christmas and other holidays during December, it makes sense for there to be special in-game gifts to give as well.
These holiday themed gifts would likely contain better items inside or special event items, encouraging players to give out as many gifts as possible. There even could be a special holiday egg that players can get from these special gifts that can evolve into festive Pokemon or just ice-type Pokemon. Another possibility would be packs of special winter-themed stickers that players can attach to even more gifts.
If this were to come, there would likely be timed research tasks that would require players to give out a lot of gifts. Considering that players on friend lists don't need to be in person to give or receive gifts in-game, it will also fit with the 2020 need of social distancing.
Ice/Fire Pokemon Raids
With every Pokemon GO event, there usually are themed raids occurring alongside them. For the December holidays, there would likely be many more ice-types appearing as raid bosses throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, to reflect the seasonal changes in the Southern Hemisphere, there could be fire-types appearing as raid bosses instead.
The next solstice is December 21st, which will mark the next season's arrival. Many associate either winter or summer with the holiday season depending on where they live in the world. In a way, these raids could be a reflection of these feelings and sights people have for that specific time of year.
Remote Pokemon Trading
Despite the changes and additions made to Pokemon GO during the COVID-19 pandemic, remote Pokemon trading still has not been added to the game. With many players unable to see those they usually play with in person due to distance or quarantining, many are unable to trade Pokemon at all.
There are many research tasks in Pokemon GO that require players to trade Pokemon. However, those who can't physically be around other players can't perform the exchange and are prevented from progression.
The holiday season is the perfect time for Pokemon GO to finally introduce remote Pokemon trading. It may be limited to players with certain friendship levels with other trainers, but it would still help out those who are stuck. Considering how many people usually travel for the holiday season and how many won't be able to this year, remote Pokemon trading would be a cute way of sending Pokemon to travel instead.
New Winter Pokemon Costumes
Encountering Pokemon wearing special hats or costumes during a Pokemon GO event is basically expected at this point. With each event, new Pokemon costumes seem to be released with previous years' costumed Pokemon also returning. Because of that, it is almost a guarantee that some new Pokemon will get to bundle up for the winter as well.
The current Pokemon with special winter or holiday costumes are:
- Pichu
- Pikachu
- Raichu
- Stantler
With 2020's event on the way, its very likely that the Kanto starters will also get special holiday or winter costumes as well. Additionally, it is very likely that the Pokemon Delibird will get a costume as well, considering that this Pokemon is commonly associated with Santa Claus.
New Shiny Pokemon
When a Pokemon is added to Pokemon GO, its shiny form is not likely to be released at the same time. Instead, the shiny Pokemon are released in waves with different events, both large and small. These Pokemon are usually tangentially related to the event in some way, usually as an increased spawn.
Out of all of the Pokemon in Pokemon GO who haven't had their shiny forms added into the game yet, these seem to be the most likely to get theirs during the upcoming 2020 Winter Holiday event:
- Spheal
- Sealeo
- Walrein
- Cubchoo
- Beartic
- Cryogonal
Generally, there aren't too many shiny Pokemon released with one event, so it would be very unlikely for all of these Pokemon to get their shiny forms this holiday season. Hopefully at least one evolutionary line will get their place in the spotlight this year.
Adding More Unova Pokemon
Despite how much time has passed, there still are some Pokemon from the fifth generation of Pokemon games that haven't been added into Pokemon GO. Some of these Pokemon can find room to come in during the Holiday 2020 event.
Out of all of the Pokemon that haven't been implemented yet, the most likely to come is the Vanillite line. This evolutionary line is made up of Vanillite, Vanillish, and Vanilluxe. All members of this line are pure ice-type Pokemon with all of them resembling ice cream. Considering that they are ice-types and they resemble a tasty treat, the arrival of this line would be perfect timing for both players in the Northern Hemisphere and players in the Southern Hemisphere.
While this line isn't the most impressive in battle, the line's members do have a charm to them considering their links to sweet treats. Fans of other food-based Pokemon such as Alcremie or Applin, may want to catch these Pokemon while they wait for their other food-based favorites to be implemented as well.
Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.