Mobile devices have changed many aspects of our lives; perhaps now it is time to put them to work dealing with one of the busiest seasons of the year. CBR’s list gives you the mobile tools to take on everything from cooking to carols.
1. Christmas Music
If you need a soundtrack for your holidays, the Christmas Music app is a good place to start. It provides a broad range of tracks that are all available in the public domain.
This includes carols like Silent Night or traditional songs like We Wish You a Merry Christmas. The app is available for free on iOS.
2. Christmas Menu Maker
Although everyone enjoys eating Christmas dinner, there’s no denying it’s a massive hassle to cook. The Christmas Menu Maker allows you to build the menu you want to serve and then provides you with a bespoke shopping list and schedule.
You can pick from a range of recipes according to taste, divided into four courses. The app is available for £0.79 from the App Store.
3. Santa’s Bag
This personal shopping manager allows you to break down your shopping into different stages to ensure everything is organised.
You can plan ideas and save images and notes, then set budgets for individual recipients and for the whole occasion.
The app is free on iOS.
4. Inkly
If you are still fond of sending Christmas cards but are tired of scrawling the same messages out again and again, Inkly provides a middle ground between this and the somewhat impersonal email.
Using your phone or tablet, you can add photos, upload your own handwriting and create bespoke designs. Inkly then prints and posts the cards for you, and will send them the same day if submitted before midday.
5. Amazon
The Amazon app is useful all year round, but it is at Christmas when it really comes into season. If you need to do shopping while out and about, the eCommerce giant has built a powerful experience tailored to the mobile device.
You have instant access to Amazon’s product catalogue and can conduct the whole transaction securely in a few taps of your touch-screen.
6. Thank You Note
Once Christmas is over, the arduous task of writing thank you cards for your presents begins. With this app you can make the whole thing a bit simpler by electronically sending (semi-)personalised messages.
The app is available for free on iPhone and iPad.
7. Google Calendar
Available built into Android or available to download on iOS, this app will ensure that you don’t lose track of the Christmas social calendar.
You can set alerts and add events as you wish. Usefully, if you are using Android, events from your Gmail account will automatically be added to the calendar.
8. NORAD Tracks Santa (iOS) or Google Santa Tracker (Android)
Whichever device you happen to have, you can keep up to date with Santa’s progress around the world on your mobile device or tablet.
Until 24 December, there is a countdown to the beginning of his journey. When Christmas Eve arrives, you can watch on the world map as Santa zooms around the world.
