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It's the most wonderful time of year, and that means the annual Pokemon Go holiday event is back! This time around, there are two new Pokemon, some awesome bonuses, and, as always, the daily free Incubator from PokeStops.

RELATED: Pokemon GO: The Best Pokemon Of Every Type

We've got all the details on the Pokemon Go Holiday 2021 event right here. The event is split into two parts, each with its own goings-on. There are also some bonuses and features that apply to the event as a whole. Read on for all the information you need to celebrate the holiday season in Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go Holidays 2021 - Full Event Period Details

XY Anime Wulfric Pokemon Evolution

There are a few things that apply to the entire event, which runs from December 16 at 10am to December 31 at 8pm, local time. Here's a rundown!

New Pokemon

Here's who is new and debuting during Part 1 and 2:

  • Holiday Glaceon
  • Holiday Spheal

And during Part 2 only:

  • Bergmite
  • Avalugg

New shinies are available, too, including the following:

  • Shiny Holiday Spheal
  • Shiny Galarian Darumaka
  • Shiny Galarian Darmanitan
  • Shiny Holiday Glaceon

The spawns, Raid bosses, and Field Research encounter rewards are mostly the same for both parts of the event, with a few exceptions. We'll outline these in the respective sections of this guide!

Bonuses

Some overarching bonuses will apply to both portions of the event, too.

  • You can open up to a maximum of 45 gifts per day
  • You can hold up to a maximum of 40 gifts in your inventory
  • Team GO Rocket Grunts will have more Ice- and Water-type Pokemon on their teams
  • Special holiday stickers will drop from PokeStops and gifts (they'll also be in the shop for purchase)
  • Mega Abomasnow will enjoy a CP boost for the duration of the event

The Shop

Pokemon Go Holidays 2021 Avatar Items

There are a few things you'll find in the in-game shop during the holidays.

New holiday-themed avatar items are available, including a hat, jacket, and pair of shorts. They're green and resemble the outfit one of Santa's elves might wear. These avatar items are available permanently, starting on December 15 at 4pm EST.

As mentioned, you'll also be able to grab some holiday stickers from the shop by purchasing them. They'll also drop from PokeStops and gifts.

Finally, three event boxes will be available. Here's what they'll contain:

Special Box

Ultra Box

Adventure Box

480 PokeCoins

1,480 PokeCoins

1,480 PokeCoins

  • 50x Poke Ball
  • 2x Premium Battle Pass
  • 2x Super Incubator
  • 3x Star Piece
  • 25x Ultra Ball
  • 18x Raid Premium Battle Pass
  • 5x Super Incubator
  • 5x Incense
  • 2x Incubator
  • 18x Super Incubator
  • 2x Incense
  • 4x Star Piece

Go Battle League - Holiday Cup

Via twitter.com - Pokémon GO

If you prefer to celebrate the festivities by battling other Trainers, you're in luck, as there is a holiday-themed tournament taking place.

The Holiday Cup runs from December 16 to 31. Here are the rules:

  • Pokemon must be CP 1,500 or lower
  • Only the following types are allowed: Normal, Grass, Electric, Ice, Flying, and Ghost

Check out our full guide to Season 10 of the Go Battle League for more info!

Postcards

Pokemon Go Postcards

As part of the Holidays 2021 event, Niantic has announced the rollout of a new feature: Postcards!

You know those little cards that are attached to gifts that you send and receive, with the picture and name of the PokeStop they were dropped from? Now you'll be able to save those (both received gifts and your own) in a book of them!

The Postcard Book will be viewable from your inventory or your Trainer profile page. In it, you'll be able to save the postcards you receive or even those attached to your own gifts. The pinned postcards will have the date you received them and the name of the person who sent them. You can also sort your Postcard Book by date or sender.

If you're concerned about privacy, you can toggle a setting that hides your Trainer name from other people's Postcard Books.

This blog post by Niantic has all the specifics.

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Pokemon Go Holidays 2021 - Part 1

Pokemon GO December Community Day

Part 1 of the event runs from December 16 at 10am to December 23 at 10am local time. There will be event-exclusive Field Research, special spawns, Raid bosses, and more.

It's also worth noting that December Community Day takes place during Part 1.

More Info: Pokemon GO Community Day Guide

Spawns, Raids, Field Research Encounters

Here's who to expect in the wild, in Raids, and as rewards for finishing event-exclusive Field Research tasks!

Wild Spawns

  • Santa Hat Pikachu
  • Swinub
  • Snorunt
  • Snover
  • Vanillite
  • Holiday Stantler
  • Holiday Delibird
  • Holiday Spheal
  • Holiday Cubchoo
  • Alolan Sandshrew
  • Cryogonal

Field Research Encounters

  • Santa Hat Pikachu
  • Alolan Vulpix
  • Swinub
  • Holiday Stantler
  • Holiday Spheal
  • Holiday Cubchoo
  • Cryogonal

Raids

Tier 1

Tier 3

Tier 5

Mega

  • Santa Hat Pikachu
  • Alolan Sandshrew
  • Swinub
  • Holiday Spheal
  • Holiday Cubchoo
  • Cloyster
  • Holiday Stantler
  • Holiday Delibird
  • Holiday Glaceon
  • Kyurem
  • Mega Steelix
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Pokemon Go Holidays 2021 - Part 2

There's a lot more going on in Part 2 than Part 1. This section of the event runs from the end of Part 1 at 10am local time on December 23 until 8pm local time on December 31.

Daily Free Incubator

To the delight of many, this annual bonus is making its return. The first time you spin a PokeStop each day, you'll receive an Incubator. In the past, these have been single-use Incubators, but Niantic didn't specify that this time, so perhaps we're getting the standard three-use ones. We will, of course, update this post when we can confirm.

Spawns, Raids, Field Research Encounters

The most exciting Pokemon spawning during Part 2 is Bergmite, who is making its debut in Pokemon Go as part of this event. You'll be able to evolve it into Avalugg, meaning two brand new Pokemon to add to your Pokedex!

The rest of the wild spawns, Raid bosses, and Field Research encounters are largely the same as Part 1, but with a few differences.

Wild Spawns

  • Santa Hat Pikachu
  • Swinub
  • Snorunt
  • Snover
  • Vanillite
  • Holiday Stantler
  • Holiday Delibird
  • Holiday Spheal
  • Holiday Cubchoo
  • Alolan Vulpix
  • Cryogonal
  • Bergmite

Field Research Encounters

  • Santa Hat Pikachu
  • Alolan Sandshrew
  • Swinub
  • Holiday Stantler
  • Holiday Spheal
  • Holiday Cubchoo
  • Galarian Darumaka

Raids

Tier 1

Tier 3

Tier 5

Mega

  • Santa Hat Pikachu
  • Alolan Vulpix
  • Holiday Spheal
  • Holiday Cubchoo
  • Galarian Darumaka
  • Lapras
  • Holiday Stantler
  • Holiday Delibird
  • Holiday Glaceon
  • Kyurem
  • Mega Abomasnow

Eggs

Notably, Part 2 features a few Pokemon hatching from eggs, but Part 1 did not. The following Pokemon will be available in any 7km egg you obtain during the event window:

  • Swinub
  • Smoochum
  • Galarian Darumaka
  • Bergmite
  • Cryogonal
  • Holiday Cubchoo

Timed Research

There will be two separate rounds of Timed Research during Part 2. Why Niantic decided to do two rounds in this portion of the event instead of one in each part is anybody's guess.

There aren't many details in Niantic's announcement, but they did state that the two questlines will focus on friendship and catching Pokemon, and that both will finish with an encounter with Galarian Mr. Mime.

Winter Wonderland Mini-Event

From 10am local time on December 25 to 8pm the next day, there's a mini-event taking place, called "A Winter Wonderland." It offers a Collection Challenge that will only be available for the small mini-event window.

However, it seems like you can't just catch these Pokemon to complete the Collection Challenge, and you'll need to trade for them. Here's the list:

  • Swinub
  • Snorunt
  • Spheal
    • Does not need to be costumed
  • Snover
  • Vanillite
  • Cubchoo
    • Does not need to be costumed

If you complete the Collection Challenge in time, you'll encounter Galarian Mr. Mime.

Luckily, there is a trade distance increase for the duration of this mini-event. You can trade with friends up to 40km away.

There will also be mini-event-exclusive Field Research tasks that reward you with an encounter with Holiday Delibird.

NEXT: Pokemon Go Season Of Heritage: Everything You Need To Know