They fixed items getting launched by the ice alongside the proper snow mode version for the christmas event, now they either get brought to the top or just sit at the bottom if they are deep enough.
Oh so it is, you've saved me and many others time found the thing I thought I lost on the water. Still unsure why the streamer Criken's safe yeet it self onto land. I am very happy to have learned this, thank you friend.
It depends on what version he played, cause this was fixed in a later test release of the update. So if he played the test versions of the update, that was probably it.