Navigating the Holidays with Tech: 5 Ways to Survive Christmas

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes a whirlwind of joy, laughter, and, let’s be honest, a few challenges too. 

But fear not, because our trusty sidekick (technology) is here to lend a hand to survive the Christmas period from tackling the shopping to keeping everyone entertained…

1. Apps: Santa’s Little Helper 

Santa’s workshop may be miles away, but we have a helpful elf in our pockets thanks to apps. From gift shopping to meal planning, there’s an app for every festive need. 

Elfster is a great way of sorting out the office Secret Santa – especially with so many hybrid or fully-remote working teams these days. The app helps you manage your gift exchanges by creating groups, inviting members, generating names, setting spending limits and exchanging gifts – no sleigh needed!

Santa’s Bag helps you organise your personal shopping challenges with saved gift lists, budget-setting, and plenty of gift suggestions for those people who already have everything. 

When cooking up a storm, apps like Recipe Keeper offer a sleigh-load of help to impress even the pickiest of eaters when the family are over. There’s also a nod to SuperCook, which is a great tool to help you make meals out of leftover ingredients. 

2. Virtual Sleigh Ride – Video Calls and Online Gatherings

Distance shouldn’t dampen the holiday spirit. Cue the virtual sleigh ride – video calls and online gatherings to the rescue! 

Whether your loved ones are a town away or on the other side of the globe, platforms like Zoom, Meta Portal, and FaceTime let you share the holiday cheer in real-time. 

Organise a virtual Secret Santa, host an online game night, or catch up with family and friends – technology enables connected celebrations with loved ones far and away.

3. Jingle All the Way – AI-Assisted Holiday Planning

AI isn’t just for sci-fi enthusiasts anymore; it’s a holiday hero too! Harness the power of artificial intelligence to streamline your planning. 

AI personal assistants, like Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa, can help you with everything from creating shopping lists to setting reminders for essential holiday tasks. Need some inspiration for the perfect holiday playlist? Just ask your virtual assistant, and voila – you’re jingling all the way!

4. Sleigh Bells on Demand – Streaming Services

Gone are the days of waiting for your favourite holiday movies to air on TV. With streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+, you can have sleigh bells on demand! (And if we’re all being honest with each other, we’ve all probably started watching Christmas films in October!).

Create a cosy movie night with your family and binge-watch all the classics. Don’t forget to add some smart home devices to the mix – command your lights to dim and let the streaming marathon commence. 

5. Online Shop ‘Til You Drop

Ditch the crowded supermarkets and embark on a stress-free shopping spree from the comfort of your couch. Online shopping platforms and e-commerce apps have revolutionised how we tackle our holiday shopping lists.

Whilst we’re not here to promote any particular retailer, the convenience and benefits of online shopping have wholly removed the hassle and stress of finding that perfect gift. 

Browse through an endless array of products, read reviews, find deals and click your way to a home-delivered pile of beautifully wrapped gifts. Plus, with express shipping, you don’t need to panic when realising at the last minute Grandma doesn’t have a present this year!!

Time for Fun

And there you have it – five ways tech can help you to complete Christmas! Now the question is – what will you do with all of the extra time? We’re honestly not going to judge you for having a Pixar marathon with snacky bits!