What good are the holidays if you aren't having a good time with family and fun with all of the festivities. Too often, we get caught up in the chaos of the holidays and then the holidays aren't fun anymore. Cheer up! There are some cool free apps that you can load on your smartphone or tablet that will add some cheer. They will also make your budgeting, shopping, and entertaining easier with just a touch of a button. Check out my list of Holiday apps you absolutely need on your devices.
1. Santa’s Bag
One of the most overlooked aspects of Christmas and holiday shopping is staying on budget. This app allows you to plan your shopping list, keep track of who your planning to give gifts to, and you can keep track of your purchases. Santa's Bag also has a timer so you can keep track of how many shopping days you have left in the Holiday Season.
2. Christmas Radio
There are some of us can't get enough of Christmas music and Holiday tunes. (I love it, but only during the season). Yes, Pandora and Spotify offer Christmas music to get into the holiday spirit, but they can't compete with Christmas Radio. There are over 80 Christmas stations, including North Pole Radio, Mistletoe Radio, Kristmas Kountry, and Christmas Carols Radio.
3. Elf on the Shelf Ideas
If you own an Elf on a Shelf, you know the struggle of trying to find new and improved ways to do with the thing Every Single Night from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. Now there is a solution. This app will provide you with an endless amount of creative things to do with your Elf. The app will even walk you through each idea and even tell you which items you’ll need to recreate each scene.
4. Elf Yourself.
Who doesn't know about Elf Yourself, but there are some of you who don't know about this funny app. This is how it works. You add up to five photos of yourself with friends, family, and coworkers. After adding your photos, you can choose from a variety of dances. Once you select your favorite dance, Elf Yourself creates a funny video with the people you selected dancing to a holiday beat. You can share your video via text, email, and on social media.
5. A Message from Santa!
If your house has little ones that believe in Santa Claus, there's nothing like a phone call from the “Big Guy” to find out if they were being naughty or nice. This easy to use app allows you to setup unlimited video messages that you can personalize for all of your children. Your children can also send text to Santa, call Santa’s voicemail, and talk with him on the phone!
6. Punchbowl This app allows you create digital invitations to your Holiday parties which you can send out via text or on social media. There are hundreds of invitations to choose from. Upload your contacts to the app and keep track of your RSVPs in real time and follow up with friends who are undecided.
Will you be using any of these apps this Christmas season? Please let us know in the comments below!
If you have any questions about your technology and your devices, please feel free to contact us.
Our friendly tech experts at Integral are always standing by to answer your questions and help make your technology useful and fun. If you enjoyed this story, please recommend and share to help others find it.
I'm the Chief Technology Expert at Integral. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn , and Twitter and watch great tech tip videos on my YouTube channel. I can be reached by email at burton@integralcomputerconsultants.com