Chistmas apps: With Christmas around the corner and stress levels soaring up to the big day, why not turn to tech to make things easier?
According to figures from ComfyLiving, two billion people worldwide will be celebrating Christmas this year. Following that figure, research from sleeknote shows that approximately 26% of people worldwide are internet shoppers over the festive season, while figures from Opinium Research for Direct Line show that, in the UK, nearly two million adults intend to play with their smartphones, over Christmas dinner.
Safe to say, technology has changed the way we celebrate Christmas. But what about accessible tech? We looked at free-to-use and paid-for apps guaranteed to get you into the festive spirit!
One of the best apps for Santa lovers, Portable North Pole, allows you to make videos and arrange calls with the big man himself. Although recommended for ages four and over, you can use it on toddlers and adults. Available on iOS and Android, it offers a free trial with the option to purchase a premium version, allowing Santa to make video calls from his sleigh and even wish you or your child a Happy Birthday. Insert your child’s name, age, date of birth and country and create a video with Santa addressing your child in minutes. Another new feature is the app’s reaction recorder (paid-for version) which will help you make long-lasting memories.
In business for fourteen years, the infamous ElfYourself app is a great way to get into a festive mood, with the opportunity to turn your family into a bunch of dancing elves. With a free and paid version on iOS and Android, you download the app, upload the faces of everyone you wish to ‘Elf,’ and create highly entertaining dance videos. You can upload up to five faces with three soundtracks available free of charge. Interestingly, over two billion elves have been created since the app was first introduced. If you still need to turn yourself into a dancing Elf, now’s the time to try.
A great little free app for those who like counting down the days until the family comes together, Christmas countdown is a free app that boasts loads of fun features. These include festive music tracks, phone backgrounds, your own advent calendar, and more. It is more enjoyable to use because you also get a free gift of a wallpaper every day in December, and it doesn’t feature any advertisements. One massive plus for a free app that is purely seasonal. Christmas Countdown is available on Android and iOS.
For those who like to be organized with presents and ahead of the Xmas present shopping game, this paid-for app works a treat in terms of helping you track gifts, set a budget and maintain control! With over five hundred thousand users worldwide, this app is impressive because it generates data visualization and sorting tools, so you can track what you bought and who you purchased for. You can also password-protect your Christmas list, add pictures of those who you are buying for and include personalized notes and links. What’s even more brilliant is that it automatically renews your list on the 1st of January, and those receiving presents are archived. What more could you want?
Featuring over fifteen thousand recipes, with over one hundred and fifteen of those being Christmas ones specifically, the BBC Good Food app has become notorious among those who like to cook at home. With new dishes being introduced each month, you can build your recipe collections, cook on screen and watch tutorials, from cooking the turkey and glazed ham to making the tastiest stuffing. What’s great about this app is that it provides you with a recipe for every dish you can think of and offers a free three-month trial for Android and iOS users.
A sister of the Norad Santa Tracker website, this is a fun way of tracking Santa on his journey as he makes his way from the North Pole to various countries across the world. Known for being the best in the business, this app works by having a GPS locator attached to Santa’s sleigh so you can see where he is and at what time. Free to use on both Android and iOS, it is available in over seven languages and has a reputation for being one of the most accurate Santa sleigh trackers in the world.
Receive a phone call or text and access Santa’s voicemail with this sassy app that allows youngsters to engage with Santa Claus directly. With both premium and free versions available, this app which works on iOS and Android seeks to promote good behaviour all year. You can also track Santa while you’re at it and check conditions at the North Pole ahead of Christmas Day.
Let’s face it, we all like to play games at Christmas. This app enables you to engage in many fun games that help with hand-to-eye coordination, imagination, creativity and motor skills. With over one million downloads, it’s free to install. However, it’s only on Android. It’ll enable you to enjoy puzzles, connect the dots, scratch games and more at the dinner table with family members of all ages. It’s certainly something cheap and cheerful for after dessert!
