Is it a y level thing? Like on the default superflat (bedrock, a few dirt then grass) your y level is very low. Just a guess but the trader could be coded to only appear above a certain y level.

Pretty hard to see in day time and we always go to sleep as soon as possible when both in the village to avoid spawns.

I mean I guess I didn’t look up for way too long. It’s harder to see in-game from the village itself.

To explain a little, it’s a sort of silent game where once you’ve found the Jack o’lantern you sneakily pick it up and hide it somewhere in our village. So you never really expect to come across it.

I think she put it up there whilst I was out mining and it was there for irl days. I’m gonna hide it in the pumpkin patch.