10 Fun & Useful Christmas Apps Even Non-Techie Moms LOVE

The faint sound of Santa’s bells is growing louder by the minute. The smell of peppermint, pine, and (wrapping) paper is everywhere. Your heart is beginning to look Grinch-y green.

Who has time to figure out which Christmas apps are actually useful? Lucky for you, I’ve done the work. Which ones are worth downloading? Keep scrolling.

Christmas Apps to Keep Everything Organized

1. Sale ads, the rare useful e-mail, conspiracy-laden emails from Uncle Alfred. Our inboxes are full. Then we add in Christmas receipts/tracking notices.
   
   Good luck getting to InboxZero.
   
   But there’s at least one thing that can help — AfterShip. This helpful little app will pull tracking notices out of your e-mails, pop them into the app, and you can track the status of all your orders — from to-be-shipped through delivery.
   
2. It’s December 22 & you’re feeling pretty proud of yourself. You’ve wrapped all of the gifts, stuffed the stockings, and breakfast is in the fridge. Three days early even. Curled up with steamy cocoa, hubby, and Hallmark, you’re ready to relax.
   
   One sip & one contented sigh later, you shoot up & run for your closet.
   
   Yep, there’s a missing present. But who’s is it? And did you even remember to buy it? Santa’s Bag to the rescue. Track your ideas, budget, gift links, purchase status, even where you hid it!
   
3. If you’ve ever organized a Secret Santa, you know the hassle of gathering up names, drawing names, passing out the names. Elfster will simplify the process, so you can just enjoy it. Elfster’s site is full of ideas participants can add to their profile or they can enter their own ideas. (Super handy for getting inspiration for people you may not know well or are hard to buy for.)
   
4. Push start on the dishwasher, flip the light switch. And then you remember — the elves! the Elf Ideas I’ve already marked a half-dozen ideas — from simple to more complex. But you’re prepared. Maybe you have a handy list you already made, maybe you grab your device & open up Elf Ideas. Either way, ten minutes later, you’re off to dreamland.

(We don’t do Elf on the Shelf — the storyline makes me cringe. Our elves? Well, they were being a bit too mischievous & Santa decided his December would be more productive without elves underfoot. So they come for fun. Yes, my kids know they aren’t real now. Yes, they still love to see what mischief they get into each night. And, yes, it still brings me so much delight.)

Yuletide FUN

1. Even before we had smartphones, NORAD Santa Tracker was a staple in our home.  On and off, thoughout Christmas Eve, we check where Santa is, watch videos of where he’s been, and count down to his last stop. {Yes, even my non-Santa-believing kids still enjoy it!}
   
   {If you’ve never heard the story of how this event came to be, it’s a must!  It’ll warm even the Grinch’s heart.}
   
2. Embarassing story time. Santa leaves stockings outside at our house. And he doesn’t leave gifts. Why? Because the thought of (a non-existing) Santa coming into my house weirds me out. But if that doesn’t bother you, catch Santa sneaking into your home with Catch Santa AR. Save the photo or video & surprise your kids.
   
   BONUS Toca Hair Salon Christmas and Christmas Sweeper 3 were two my kiddos LOVED when they were in the 4-8 years range. This year I’ve downloaded Escape Game: Christmas Night, Christmas Mansion 3, and Christmas Piano for them.

Trusty Apps that SHINE

1. We’ve gotta’ eat. But guess what I leave off my calendar at least once a month? Grocery pick up to the rescue. While Danica or Candace find another true love in the snow or the kiddos put finishing touches on (another!) macaroni wreath, I load up my grocery cart in the Instacart or Walmart app.
   
2. Plan to Eat is my most-used app. (Yes, even more than Facebook!)  I think it’s the only app that my husband, myself, and my teenager all have on our phones!  Recipe storage + meal plans + shopping lists = an easy win.
   
3. Ideals & reality often clash for me in December. One way? Personal advent study. In reality, it often looks like reading on my phone in bed or in between activities. The Bible app by LifeChurch makes it easy to stay engaged in an advent study in a portable way.
   
4. Thank you, Amazon, for the last two — Audible & Kindle. I prefer to read on my Paperwhite but, when I forget it, the Kindle app is my back-up. Tinsel Tales & The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are our two most-listened-to-titles on Audible. (Check out these ideas for family reads.)