Written by Sara Cate Galasso
Winter gets the worst reputation of all the seasons. Sure, it may be cold, dark and sometimes drags on and on until you’re just begging for spring…but it might be time to rethink this overlooked time of year. Wintertime can be one of the best seasons of all, and no one knows that better than the ice-type Pokémon who live in its chilly climates all year long! Whether you’re looking for some escape from yet another summer heatwave, or just want to travel to a new world you’ve never explored, grab your mental camera! It’s time to take a wintery walk and see what we can discover within the Frosted Forest!
Can you hear the sound of your footsteps as they crunch merrily beneath you? The day is bright and the sun is out, creating a stunning spectrum of sparkling light across the landscape. A fresh snow blankets the earth, and everything feels quiet and new. As the smell of far-off woodsmoke drifts across the wintry wind, you wrap your scarf tighter around your neck and grip your camera in mittened hands; you hope you can photograph some new Pokémon today. You stray from the footpath and veer towards the hidden entrance to the Frosted Forest.
You keep a slow pace, taking in the serene silence of a forest freshly transformed by new snow. As you glance upward, something catches your eye in the treetops above. Is that branch wobbling? Bits of snow fall to the ground in clumps. A flash of red appears amongst the pine bows: it’s a Delibird! It seems to be carrying something heavy. You grab your camera and peer through the viewfinder for a better look: it’s holding a sack! Before you can even snap a picture, the sack falls forward, and Delibird, still gripping it, falls with it. They both plunge into the snow below. You giggle without thinking, and Delibird, now aware of your presence, vaults out of the snow and waddles into the woods, sack slung over its shoulders. A small red object remains where it fell. As you step closer, you see it’s a box, wrapped in red paper and neatly tied with a yellow bow. You put the present in your bag and continue your trek through the woods.
Everything feels still, as if the trees were holding their breath, hiding a hushed secret beneath their snow-capped branches. You come to a stream, frozen and still. Stopping to sit on a boulder, you spy something coming towards you on the frozen water. A snom! Is it…skating?! Suddenly, three more appear behind it. They glide over the ice, bumping into the banks and one another as they slide like curling stones. The Snom in front slows to a stop as it spots you, and the other three collide into it. Slowly— very slowly— the Snom scoots toward you, climbing up and over the snow bank. Forgetting the camera in your hand, you lean down to pat the little ice bug now in front of you. The translucent shell on its bumpy body is smooth and cold to the touch like an icicle, and you break into a smile. “Hello!” you say. The red gift falls out of your pocket and lands on the snow.
“Oh! Would you mind returning that present to Delibird for me?” you ask.
Snom accepts this new quest with a happy wiggle, and clutching the gift between its mandibles, rejoins its friends on the ice. They all scoot down the glittering stream together, bumping happily out of sight. As you watch them go, you realize you missed another photo opportunity. Darn! Next time you won’t forget.
Continuing your walk, you step deeper into a stand of tall trees. It gets a little harder to walk, as the snow seems deeper here. As you button your coat up against your throat to keep the chill out, you pass a rocky cave hidden behind a thicket. Peering inside, you see something sleeping soundly amongst a bed of leaves. Using your camera, you focus on the creature. An Alolan Vulpix?! Excitedly, you adjust the settings on your camera, readying it to photograph this rare Pokémon, when you hear a tinkling sound behind you. Turning, you catch a glimpse of something blue streaking past you. The Vulpix forgotten, you rush through the woods to follow this mysterious blur.
You weave around the frosted pines, trying to keep up, but the snow almost reaches your knees this deep in the forest, and it slows you down. Just when you think you might lose the blur, you reach a clearing in the trees. A frozen pond glitters below, catching the sun in a brilliant glimmer. You shield your eyes, trying to find the source of the tinkling. All at once, the sound seems right behind you: that silvery melodic chime, like the ringing of a frozen bell. The blue streak appears before you and descends, now hovering above the pond: Articuno.
You stand perfectly still, afraid to move or breathe. The air in the clearing feels colder now, and a silent snow begins to fall, delicate flakes landing on your hair and scarf and mittens. You remember the camera in your hands— you won’t miss this time! You ready your camera for the shot, your heart racing. Articuno flaps its mighty wings, stirring up the flakes around it into a flurry, and begins to glow with a magnificent, frosty aura. Its long tail billows in the air, like a glossy ribbon of ice. Click. You get the shot! As soon as you do, the great bird dives upward through the trees and you hear the tinkling sound fade into the distance. A light snow falls where the bird once was, and you see something shining on the ice. Carefully, you step onto the frozen pond to examine it: a large silver bell with a red ribbon tied to it. You place the treasure in your pocket, and head home to warm up by the fire, the flakes dancing around you as if still enchanted with Articuno’s icy powers.
So, are you ready to rethink your winter blues? Whether you channel your inner Snom and spend a snow-day slipping, sliding, and sledding, or you keep it cozy like a cave-dwelling critter with your fuzzy slippers and hot cocoa, there’s always something fun to do on a winter’s day! However you celebrate this snowy season, you can cozy up to the NEW Frosted Forest series of tabletop accessories, featuring your favorite frosty ice-type Pokémon! Grab a Playmat and Deck Box, and cuddle close to the fire for a chilled out game of Pokémon TCG. Spend quality time with family filling the 2” album with photos of your favorite wintertime memories. The Frosted Forest Alcove Flip holds more than just trading cards (100+ cards, to be specific): use it to protect those sacred family recipes handed down from generation to generation. (Winter is the season of baking delicious treats, after all!) Finally convinced that there’s snow season quite like winter? We thought so. Now grab your chunky knitted sweater and get out there!
