5 Wholesome Things to do in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been out for a little less than a year now, and it’s easy to start feeling fatigued. We’ve seen all the seasons and holidays, and now all that’s left to do is start the year over again and grab all the DIYs and creatures that you missed the first time around. For me, the New Horizons has stayed very strong. Even though the game has no plot, there’s still plenty of great things to be done around your island.

1. Rearrange your flowers

This one kept me busy for a long time, and I still think about different ways to arrange the flowers on my island. Try different color combinations to line your paths, or arrange them in different patterns. I have all my purple flowers in diagonal lines, each lines being a different type of flower, and my blue flowers around my house in vertical lines. I’ve also lined some of my paths with purple and red pansies in one area, red and white lilies along another path, etc.

So many different types and colors of flowers can look great together, and you won’t know until you actually see it. Give it a try and see if it spices up your island at all.

2. Take a lap

The swimming function is one of my favorite parts of the game. Whenever I have a lot of time on my hands and I’m feeling bored, I’ll completely empty my pockets and take a swim all around my island. I pick up all sorts of sea creatures, and listening to the water sounds is very calming. What’s more, running into Pascal the otter is an absolute delight. If you give him a scallop, swimming alongside him is another fun little activity you can do while in the water. I also like to start my lap around my Nook’s Cranny shop. That way, once I’ve gone all the way around, it’s a short walk to sell your cute little sea critters and get some bells.

I’d also recommend trying it at night. Night swimming is even more calming than day swimming. So take a breather and enjoy this slow activity.

3. Gifts, gifts, and more gifts

We all have our favorite villagers. Mine are Bones and Lyman, and they get gifts from me pretty much every day. Something cute I’ve taken to doing more often is having some kind of gift ready for each of my ten villagers every day. They’ll give you little gifts back, some of which you can re-gift to other villagers to make the whole process smoother.

I find a little chain of gifts adorable. It’s a silly, feel-good gesture, and I always love visiting a villager and seeing on of my gifts, or watching them run around the island with a funny hat I gifted them.

4. Mail some letters

This one always feels a little time consuming, but sending letters to your friends is so much fun. I’ve gotten some hilarious gifts from friends, including a ring from a friend asking to be married, platonically of course. Personalizing little notes is a ton of fun if you put the time in, and it can make for a sweet surprise for your friends. I got some birthday gifts from friends with kind words that helped brighten my day and made me feel closer with the friends I can’t physically be with the celebrate. A surprise letter can be just the right thing to give that small bit happiness to someone special.

5. Arts and crafts

DIYs are wonderful in New Horizons. There are so many of them, chances are there’s a bunch that you haven’t even touched yet. Something I’ve started doing when I’m wandering with nothing much to do is pick out some DIYs I haven’t made before and crafting them. You never know. You might craft something, place it on your island, and realize it fits perfectly.

To take it a step further, take a look at all the different customizations for those items too. Often there will be color options that make something you ordinarily wouldn’t look twice at become extraordinary. It’s happened for me with a majority of the items I’ve got on my island, from a white birch seating area to some fancy pearl colored shell decorations. You’d be surprised what DIYs can take your island to the next level.

New Horizons is a fun, laid back game no matter which way you slice it. And I’m sure there are a ton of Nook Mile tasks many people have to complete, and there may be more added in the future. Most of the above will help complete those tasks, and you’ll have fun doing it. All and all, Animal Crossing continues to be a lovely franchise for keeping your stress levels low and your spirits high.