Christmas and the winter holidays are a busy time of year! Shopping, parties, caroling, concerts, family dinners, and more can quickly become stressful. Everyone should be able to have a joyous holiday season, and we discovered some apps that boost the magic of the holiday spirit and relieve some of the stress!
Whether it’s help shopping, finding Santa, or creating a magical Christmas atmosphere, there is an app out there! We gathered our top ten apps to keep your holiday season festive and bright!
1. NORAD Santa Tracker
Our number one pick is the NORAD Santa Tracker! I use this app every year in my home to show my kids where Santa is! It’s helpful for getting kids to bed on Christmas night because if they’re not in bed by the time Santa reaches town, he may be unable to stop and deliver gifts!
On Christmas Eve for 23 hours, NORAD tracks Santa’s location. But starting December 1, kids can head to the site for games, a Christmas countdown, and other fun activities!
2. Portable North Pole
Portable North Pole (PNP) is another app I’ve used for years to deliver personalized Christmas messages to my kids! The unique magic of hearing Santa say your child’s name is unmatched, so it grabs our number two spot! Depending on the package you purchase, you can insert personal details, photos, and other elements that boost the magic.
However, the free version allows you to add your child’s name, age, one photo, and something special about them, for example, that they have a wonderful imagination! These special touches make it pretty magical!
3. Santa’s North Pole
Number three on our list is a website, not an APP, Santa’s North Pole. The official site of those helpful little Elves on the Shelf! Even if you don’t have an Elf on the Shelf in your home, this site is full of activities and games kids will love!
They can decorate a tree for the North Pole town square, find their reindeer name, play dozens of games and other creative activities, or have a Christmas Sing A Long!
4. The Christmas List
If you love list-making like I do, you’ll want to check out The Christmas List App. The app costs $2.99 and provides an easy way to track your holiday gift budget for each person on your list. You can organize lists by friends, family, co-workers, etc.
I used to track all my gifts using the notepad on my phone to do all this, but now I am a fan of this super magical Christmas budgeting app! The app is only available on Apple iOS devices, but Android users can use Christmas Gift List, which is free to download but has in-app purchases.
5. Spotify & Amazon Music
Number five on our list of magical Holiday apps is a two-for-one deal. Music sets the tone for any event; holiday music comes in all shapes and sizes! Both Spotify and Amazon Music have pre-made Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve lists and stations for whatever your mood!
So, if you want something fun and festive for a Christmas dance party with the kids or something chill and relaxing for reading a book by the tree, there is a list pre-made for you! One of my favorite albums for relaxing is A Solo Piano Christmas by Chad Lawson.
6. Instacart
Instacart may not seem very magical, but it can be a lifesaver when you realize you forgot five things at the store and don’t have time to run out of the house while preparing for a holiday gathering! Plus, Instacart offers more than just groceries. You can get last-minute gifts like flowers and chocolate to toys and tech gadgets from places like Target and Walmart.
Shopping on Instacart also provides work for someone else, and your generous tip for a shopper who goes above and beyond can make someone else’s holiday season a little brighter!
7. Kitchen Stories Recipe App
The Kitchen Stories Recipe App makes finding and saving your favorite recipes simple. The app provides easy-to-read, step-by-step instructions on how to prepare each dish. The app features over 10,000 recipes perfect for beginners and skilled home chefs!
Get your kids in on the holiday cooking by letting them pick out a recipe or two to try this holiday season, and then bring them into the kitchen with you to build new traditions! Kitchen Stories is available in the Google Play store and the App Store.
8. Christmas Booth Photo Fun
Bring the magic of a photo booth straight to your phone with Christmas Booth Photo Fun for ioS Apple devices. You can add silly props and stickers and use their festive backgrounds.
This app will be a fun and magical time for kids and adults and can be a unique way to spice up your Christmas party!
9. Christmas Cookie – Help Santa Game
Christmas Cookie – Help Santa is a family-friendly game kids and adults can play on their phones or tablets to reduce the holiday stress! It is free to download and offers many fun challenges and over 2000 levels!
A traditional match-three game with a holiday twist! Suitable for kids 4+. We bet even Santa plays this game!
10. A Charlie Brown Christmas
No Christmas list is complete without A Charlie Brown Christmas—the ultimate family Christmas classic. Available on Android and iOS, the app costs $5 but is full of interactive family fun everyone will love. Of course, the original digital book, complete with colored illustrations, is there, but there’s much more!
Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown, narrates the book. Plus, you can decorate your own Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and the iOS version includes a holiday sticker pack!
November 24, 2023, by L. Elizabeth Forry
