As one of the busiest times of the year, it’s easy to find yourself wearing multiple hats this holiday—and we’re not talking about the beanies that keep out the cold. The task of checking off everything from your long list of chores means you’re taking on a lot of roles.
The season’s supposed to be about spending time with those that you hold dear, not about suffering from panic attacks. Banish anxiety from the lead up to your holiday by making sure your device has your back with these apps.
The Christmas List
In past years, you’ve entered the holidays with pockets full of paper lists, budgets saved onto your hard drive, and post-it note reminders about the tasks you need to finish. From experience, you know this scattered approach only makes your job harder. It’s time you learn from your mistakes and start the holidays on the right foot by downloading The Christmas List, an organizing app that helps streamline all your seasonal tasks into one convenient place.
It also provides a helpful financial advice through its budgeting analytic features, plus so many more add-ons that will simplify your holiday preparations.
AllRecipe’s Dinner Spinner
Sometimes our mouth is faster than our brains, which is why it’s so easy to invite your friends and family for dinner before you realize you aren’t a great cook. Don’t worry if you’re hopeless in the kitchen. The Dinner Spinner app offers up thousands of recipes based on recommendations and dietary restrictions. Each recipe comes with easy-to-follow instructions that even a novice chef can follow so you can cook up a holiday feast with minimal effort.
When you’re constantly swiping through a recipe with messy fingers, you can do some damage to your smartphone, tablet, or iPad. If you plan on keeping your gadget in the kitchen, make sure it can handle the heat with a handset, tablet, or iPad skin. It adds a grime- and water-resistant layer, so your device is safe from any bubbling sauce or dough smattered hand. If you have the time, you can even make your new iPhone 8 stand out from the crowd with a personalized skin of your design.
Vivino Wine Scanner
Part of the reason why so many of your friends accepted your dinner invitation was not the dish they could expect on the table but the glass of wine that they’ll have in hand. No special feast is without a nice bottle of wine, but finding the perfect vintage for the meal you prepared can be a challenge if you’re used to budget varietals.
Don’t let your inexperience as a sommelier prevent you from getting a tasty bottle of red or white. Just download the Vivino Wine Scanner, and you’ll have a professional in your back pocket. All you have to do is snap a picture of the bottle you’re thinking of and the app will show you food pairing suggestions, reviews, ratings, and any nearby deals you can snag on the same bottle of wine.
Secret Santa Tombola
Sometimes it’s the people on your list that make your holidays difficult. You know the ones: they never manage to make a list, and they’re cagey about what they want. No amount of time will solve a problem like these people. Luckily, the Secret Santa Tombola app can help you find a gift for the impossible person on your list without wasting any more time than you have to. It acts as your personal shopper by choosing a thoughtful gift for those on your list.
Are we missing any?
Once you’ve spent some time on the App Store, let us know if there are any holiday-themed apps that are missing from the list. Like the Vivino Wine Scanner and AllRecipes Dinner Spinner, there are many ‘everyday’ apps that you can co-opt for the season so cast your net wide. However, you end up spending the holidays, check in with your phone first. It might just be the reason you reach the New Year with your nerves intact!