Tech To Take Some of the Pressure Off Christmas 2020

Christmas 2020 is certainly not going to be like the Christmas that many of us are used to with less social contact allowed and only smaller gatherings. However, this doesn’t mean that Christmas needs to be any less special or exciting. Whilst Christmas can be stressful, there is an abundance of technology on hand to help you to buy gifts for your loved ones, be organised in the build up or on the day itself and to stay connected with your friends and family who you unfortunately are not able to see this festive season.

DrawNames
Do you participate in secret santa between your friends or in your workplace? It can certainly be a stressful time trying to organise the drawing of names, making sure it is kept a secret and then knowing what to buy your recipient. Draw names can help to make the process as seamless as possible, all you need to do is enter the names of those participating, any rules or exclusions and their email address (or other preferred contact method). The website will allocate who gets who and email this over to each individual, which makes sure no-one accidently gets themselves. You can also add wish lists which can help whoever draws your name to get the best gift for you. They have also introduced an option to add postal addresses to account for social distancing.

Photo printing apps
Just because you are not able to see all your family and friends this Christmas doesn’t mean you can’t let them know you are thinking of them this festive period. There are many different photo printing and personalised gift making apps available that can help you create bespoke gifts to be sent either directly to the recipient or to you to wrap up and gift. For example, on the Snapfish app you can send photos off for printing directly from your phone and you can also order personalised gifts such as photo books, mugs and water bottles. Shutterfly and Freeprints are also on hand to help you create personal gifts with your images and Print Studio can create retro prints in the same style as photobooths all from the app. This can help to take the stress out of uploading and ordering pictures from a laptop or thinking what to buy loved ones.

Virtual Assistants
Many households now have at least one form of virtual assistant in their home: Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home or Apple’s Siri are just a couple of examples of AI tools we now use on a daily basis without a second thought. These can be very helpful when organising yourself and your family this Christmas. Many of these are able to set timers to help you with your Christmas cooking, add to shopping lists and find recipes online if you forget any measurements or are looking for a new Christmas cocktail. They can also help you keep the family entertained with quiz games and music and you can get smart plugs that work in conjunction with your assistant which could control your Christmas lights to stop you forgetting to switch them off.

Teleparty
One of the most popular ways of getting in the festive spirit is to all gather on the couch and watch a Christmas film. This could be something traditional like “Miracle on 34th Street” or something that has become a modern classic such as “Home Alone” or “Love Actually”. Whilst it may not be possible to get all your family round, you can use Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) to all watch the same film at the same time on streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+. When you use this tool, you are able to pause the film and it will also pause for everyone else watching it in other locations so you don’t miss out while pouring yourself a mulled wine, or drink of choice. There is also a chat function to discuss the action.

Netflix have added some new films to their selection this Christmas such as “Holidate” starring Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey and “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” starring Forest Whittaker and Hugh Bonneville. Some of the most infamous Christmas films available on Netflix include “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas” and “The Santa Clause” are available to watch on Disney+. Why not get the family together virtually to enjoy a movie.

Video Calling
We have relied upon video calling technologies this year to keep us connected with our loved ones and they can also help you this Christmas to share the festivities. Zoom, Facebook Messenger and Skype can all enable you to video chat with your family and friends across the world. Perhaps you could organise a Christmas quiz as an alternative to your work Christmas party or you could open your presents whilst video calling your Grandparents or relatives who may have bought you that present. This will help you to spread festive cheer and combat any loneliness.