Best Christmas Apps

Christmas and New Year are approaching, and we're all in full holiday mode. It's the most wonderful time of the year and simultaneously so hectic, busy with preparations, entertaining kids, buying gifts and planning fun activities. But did you ever think about how technology can make Christmas more enjoyable? This year, let's bring festive cheer not just to our homes but also to our phones, as there are fantastic Christmas apps for planning, shopping, and keeping the holiday vibes alive. Let's review which apps can help streamline your holiday tasks, from organizing festive events and creating shopping lists to finding the perfect recipes and capturing magical moments with your loved ones.

Santa Apps

Certainly, your children love Santa Claus, don't they? Then, make this Christmas even more special for them by getting them to call Santa. Check apps that can bring such unforgettable emotions to your children. For instance, Santa Video Call App offers a delightful experience for children, allowing them to receive a call from Santa, share their Christmas wish list, and enjoy Santa stories. Key features include the choice of an American or British Santa, scheduling simulated video calls, and selecting from 38 available episodes. Users can personalize the experience by choosing from a vast list of popular names for Santa to greet the child. The app records each conversation, allowing parents to save and share the videos. Additional features include Santa asking questions. While the app is free to download, in-app purchases are available for a more personalized experience. 

Download on the App Store here.

Download on Google Play here. 

Here are some other popular Santa apps:

• Portable North Pole (PNP): Offers a variety of features, including personalized video messages from Santa, bedtime stories, and video calls. Users can input details about the child to make the messages more personalized.

• Video Call Santa Claus: Allows users to receive simulated video calls from Santa Claus. Users can schedule calls, choose from different scenarios, and personalize the experience with the child's name.

• Message from Santa! Offers simulated video calls and personalized video messages from Santa. Users can customize the messages and receive calls at scheduled times.

A Call From Santa Claus! (Sim): Allows users to receive simulated calls from Santa with a personalized touch. It includes options to choose different scenarios and customize the call to make it more engaging for children.

Christmas Cooking and Recipe Apps

Explore apps that offer a variety of Christmas recipes and cooking tips for holiday meals and treats. For instance, the Yummly smart cooking app is personalized, using AI to suggest recipes based on individual tastes, dietary preferences, and allergies. Free features include AI-driven personalized recommendations, a tool to reduce food waste by searching recipes based on available ingredients, a digital cookbook, and a smart shopping list. Paid features include filters for efficient recipe searches, smart meal planning with quick recipes, and turning ordinary ingredients into extraordinary meals with guided recipes. Users can add private notes, seamlessly integrate with Apple Health, and contribute personal recipes.

Download on the App Store here.

Download on Google Play here. 

Here are some other popular Christmas cooking and recipe apps that you might find useful. 

• Tasty: Offers a variety of delicious recipes with step-by-step instructions and video guides. You can find a dedicated section for holiday recipes, including Christmas treats and meals.

• Food Network Kitchen: Provides a wide range of recipes from Food Network chefs. The app features video tutorials, meal-planning tools, and a holiday section for festive recipes.

• BBC Good Food: Offers reliable recipes, including various Christmas ones, from classic roasts to festive desserts.

• Kitchen Stories: Blends recipes from its professional team with those uploaded from its community with step-by-step instructions, photos, and a video guide. It covers various cuisines and includes features like meal planning, shopping lists, and a cooking mode with built-in timers. 

Cookpad: Is a community-based recipe app where users can share and discover recipes. It emphasizes the community aspect of cooking, allowing users to connect with other home cooks, share their recipes, and discuss cooking tips. 

Gift Planning Apps

Organize your Christmas shopping with apps that help you plan, track, and manage your gift list. For instance, the Christmas List app is designed to help you manage your holiday shopping. It includes features for creating gift lists, setting budgets, and tracking the progress of your gift shopping by status (to do, purchased, shipping, received, and wrapped). The app provides at-a-glance shopping overviews and allows users to add gifts by typing or dictating notes. Users can import recipients from contacts, share lists easily, and create shopping lists by store. The app supports multiple gift recipients, offers popular retailers, allows the addition of photos, and features a Christmas countdown. 

Download on the App Store here.

Download on Google Play here.

Here are some other popular gift-planning apps that can help you organize and manage your gift-giving efforts:

• Giftster - Wish List Registry: Allows users to create wish lists, share them with family and friends, and mark gifts as purchased. It's a great way to keep track of what gifts others want and to let them know what you'd like.

• Elfster: The Secret Santa App: Known for its Secret Santa organizer, but it also offers features for year-round gift planning. Users can create wish lists, set up gift exchanges, and track gift purchases all in one place.

• GiftPlanner: Helps users organize gift ideas, set budgets, and track what they have purchased for each person. It also provides a countdown to special occasions.

• Christmas Gift List: This app is specifically designed to organize Christmas gift lists. It allows users to create lists, set budgets, and track gift ideas and purchases.

Holiday Music Apps

Access a wide selection of Christmas and holiday-themed music to create the perfect festive atmosphere. Spotify, the most popular app in the music space, offers a wide range of holiday playlists, albums, and curated collections. Users can find everything from classic Christmas tunes to contemporary holiday hits. With Spotify, users can enjoy millions of songs, albums, and original podcasts for free, search for favorites, and create playlists. Spotify premium membership removes ads and gives additional features. 

Download on the App Store here. 

Download on Google Play here. 

Other music apps that people often enjoy during the festive season are:

• Holiday Music Radio: This app is specifically dedicated to holiday music, offering a variety of stations playing Christmas and seasonal tunes.

• Pandora (available in the USA only): Pandora offers personalized holiday radio stations based on your favorite artists or genres. You can customize your holiday music experience with thumbs up or down on songs.

• Amazon Music: Features a vast selection of holiday music, including playlists, albums, and radio stations. It's available for both Amazon Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers.

• iHeartRadio: iHeartRadio has special holiday-themed radio stations and playlists covering a wide range of genres and styles. It's known for its diverse selection of curated content.

TuneIn Radio: TuneIn Radio provides access to numerous radio stations worldwide, and many stations offer holiday music during the festive season. You can explore stations from different regions to enjoy diverse holiday tunes.

Christmas Games Apps

Explore the festive world of Christmas gaming apps to add joy and entertainment to your holiday season. Discover a variety of games that capture the spirit of Christmas. A Santa Tracker is a fun and interactive app that allows users to track Santa Claus's journey worldwide on Christmas Eve. Features include real-time updates on Santa's location and activities, such as shopping for gifts or checking the reindeer farm. The "Find My House" feature lets users see their house on the map, and count down the time until Santa arrives on their rooftop. Users can download Santa Tracker for free, with the option to unlock extra features through in-app purchases. 

Download on the App Store here. 

Download on Google Play here.  

Discover a variety of other games that capture the spirit of Christmas, including:

• Christmas Cookie — Help Santa: Christmas Cookie game involves baking and decorating virtual cookies. Players are tasked with completing cookie-related challenges, serving customers and helping Santa prepare for Christmas.

• Christmas Solitaire: Enjoy the classic game of Solitaire with a Christmas theme. The cards, backgrounds, and music are all festive, adding a holiday touch to the game.

• Shave Santa: Shaving games, particularly if themed around Santa, involve humorous or festive elements where players groom Santa's beard or style his facial hair. Such games are lighthearted and entertaining.

• Yasa Pets Christmas: Pet simulation games with a Christmas theme allow players to take care of virtual pets during the holiday season. It includes dressing up pets in festive outfits, decorating their living spaces, and engaging in Christmas activities.

Virtual Christmas Card Apps

Create and send personalized virtual Christmas cards to friends and family. For instance, JibJab is a fun app that lets you create personalized ecards and funny videos using your photos. With a wide range of content for various occasions, including Christmas and Halloween, it's perfect for sharing laughs with family and friends. You can easily upload group photos for amusing videos and share your creations on social media. JibJab offers a subscription for unlimited access to premium content, but there are also free GIFs for you to enjoy and share. It's a simple and entertaining way to add humor to special moments!

Download on the App Store here. 

Download on Google Play here. 

Send heartfelt and personalized greetings to your loved ones with these virtual Christmas card apps:

• ElfYourself: Elf: Lets you turn yourself and your friends into dancing elves. While it's not a traditional card, it's a lighthearted way to spread holiday cheer.

• Canva: Canva is a versatile graphic design app that offers a variety of templates, including those for holiday and Christmas cards. Users can customize the design, add their own photos and messages, and then share the card digitally.

• Ink Cards: Lets users create and send personalized greeting cards, including Christmas cards, directly from their mobile device. You can add photos and custom messages and select a design from their collection.

• JustWink: Allows sending personalized digital cards for various occasions. It offers a range of festive designs, and users can customize the cards with their own messages and photos.

• Greeting Cards & Wishes: Offers a collection of virtual Christmas cards and wishes. Select a card, add your message, and send it via email or social media.

Reading time: 7 min 10 sec