Surprise Trade Christmas has come and gone in Pokémon Sword and Shield, but not for all of us. I myself wasn’t able to trade a single Pokémon during Christmas thanks to network issues.
It doesn’t look like the problem was very widespread, as Reddit seems to have had a blast with the gift exchange. However, after connecting to different wifi networks and reestablishing connection multiple times, my game was stuck searching for a trade partner all Christmas Day.
Christmas Trade Preparations
A breeding frenzy ensued a few weeks before the Christmas holiday to build a collection of Pokémon I was most excited to share with new trainers. Gearing up for a gift-giving extravaganza, I began hatching teams of eggs through Rotom Rallies. By Christmas Eve a sleigh’s worth of Sobble, Eevee, Galarian Ponyta, and more were ready to brighten young trainers’ holidays around the world.
Unfortunately, this year just wasn’t meant to be. The young Pokémon, solely aspiring to become a new trainer’s cherished partner, were crushed on Christmas morning to discover they would not be making the trip in Delibird’s bag.
The reasons for this holiday debacle are not certain. Could it have been the sheer volume of Delibird traffic exchanging Pokémon between trainers? Probably not. Likely it was due to poor wifi connection or an Eggnogg induced oversight on my end. Either way, a box full of disheartened Pokémon missed out on the seasonal festivities.
Reddit’s Christmas Cheer
Luckily Christmas was far from ruined as the Reddit community was bursting with holiday spirit. A quick search to see if the problem was more widespread brought up a stream of posts declaring Surprise Trade Christmas was in full swing. Seasoned trainers were excitedly discussing their queues of prized Pokémon ready for the exchange. There were plenty of pranksters scheming trades full of Rolycoly as well. Some novice trainers even joined the chat to extend sincere gratitude for rare or late-game captures they had already received.
Despite the personal strife, the holiday spirit was not lost to the Pokémon community as a whole. Veteran trainers were well prepared with boxes upon boxes of great gift Pokémon to spread holiday cheer. Many trainers’ holidays were made all the more special thanks to the overtly giving nature of Pokémon fans. Perhaps my little Ponyta and friends will get the chance to be a Christmas miracle for aspiring trainers another year. Unfortunately, this year it looks like my box full of Christmas Trade Pokémon was sent to the island of misfit Banette.
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