Elf is at hand: Seasonal apps to keep your Christmas spirits up

It’s that time of year again when our organisational skills are pushed to the limits, stress levels rise and we are all supposed to slap a happy, seasonal smile over the top.

But technology being what it is, there’s an app –or website – to help, whether it is bringing Christmas cheer, creating a bit of magic for the children, or teaching you some tricks to keep your blood pressure under control.

The Christmas Gift List
Free, in-app purchases
This year, everything was supposed to be different. Between Covid-19 and tighter supply chains, everyone was out shopping early to get their Christmas gift lists sorted because everything would sell out fast. Or at least that was the plan. We are willing to bet, based on personal experience, that there are still a few gifts on the "I must pick that up" list.

The Christmas Gift List app will help you keep on top of that. Free to download, the app allows you to create a gift list for each person, complete with a budget and nice profile photograph. You can see your gift list at a glance and keep an eye on your progress through a slightly intimidating pie chart.

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Sure, you could just use the Notes app, or a Google Doc, but it wouldn't be half as Christmassy.
Available for: iOS, Android

Elfster
Free
Probably one for next year rather than this year, but if you have taken on the challenge of organising the family, friends or work Secret Santa, Elfster could help make it easier. It has two functions: one, to digitally invite your chosen participants to take part in your Secret Santa project; and the second to act as a wishlist for your gifts to give people an idea of what you might like for Christmas. The latter is excellent for people who are both difficult to buy for and also want to keep some sort of mystery to the whole process. The products populating the wishlists are done by geographical area; unsurprisingly, Ireland doesn't make the cut. However, the UK version is heavily populated with Amazon products, so some people will still find it useful.
Available for: iOS, Android

Disney+
€8.99 a month
The only place you'll get to see Home Alone this year unless you pay out extra to rent or buy the film, Disney+ has a lot more going for it. That's because the Star content that Disney offers to members here teams up with the might of Disney's content catalogue, so you can watch your holiday favourites – The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Santa Clause, the aforementioned Home Alone – and watch less family-friendly content such as Die Hard, while arguing over whether the Bruce Willis film counts as a Christmas movie or not.

Because Disney+ can be paid for on a monthly basis, there is no contract to rope you in for a year, and you can cancel after a month if you find it is surplus to requirements.
Available for: iOS, Android, web, Apple TV, Google TV

Calm
€48/year
A perennial favourite around these parts, the Calm app will help you through those moments when the Christmas spirit gets a bit too much. You know, when everything is happening at once, the noise level is deafening, and even though you love Christmas, you feel like it is all getting on top of you, and all you ask is just five minutes of silence to get a handle on things. Calm offers guided audio meditations, calming sound effects, mental fitness programmes and even sleep stories to help you unwind from the day. There is also a children's section for younger users.
Available for: iOS, Android

Cosmic Kids
€9 a month
Calm, but for kids, the Cosmic yoga app teaches mindfulness for young children. The yoga routines are fun and engaging for the target age group, based on stories such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goldilocks, Room on the Broom, The Gruffalo and The Twits. It also has guided relaxations through the Peace Out series, Super Yoga sessions and a guide to all the different yoga poses for children. You can create your own playlists, or search by energy, length, age or series. It will help wind the kids down after all the excitement of the build-up to Christmas, but will also come in handy for all year round.
Available on: iOS, Android, Apple TV, FireTV Stick, Roku

Norad Tracks Santa Claus
Free
The official app of Norad's Santa tracking service, the primary function of the app is to track Santa's progress around the world. Once Christmas Eve kicks off, children (of all ages – we aren't judging) will be able to follow Santa on his trip around the world.

Until then, the app serves as an education tool, teaching children about holiday traditions from around the world, some useful stats on Santa's sleigh and some history on Santa himself. There are also games every day to keep you occupied until the excitement can really kick off.
Available for: iOS, Android

PNP – Portable North Pole
In-app purchases
Santa has kept up with modern technology. These days it's not just a letter you can expect, but a video chat with the big man himself. Launched in 2008, the service has notched up more than 15 million app installs, and 250 million video views. The Portable North Pole app has expanded over the years, offering not only free and paid-for videos of Santa, but also bedtime stories, a bit of karaoke with Mrs Claus, elf dancing games and personalised videos for the true believers in the family.
Available for: iOS, Android, Apple TV

Elf Yourself
In-app purchases
Is it even Christmas if someone doesn't send around a hilarious video of themselves digitally rendered as an elf? What started as a marketing campaign that went viral has now become a yearly assault on our inboxes and messaging apps.You know the drill: upload your face to the app, choose your dance (snowy village? House party? Cats?) and the app will create your festive video. You need to pay to download or share it, though, with a season pass that costs around €6.50 and gives you access to 27 different dances. That is 27 different ways to annoy your family and (possibly former) friends. Bargain.
Available for: iOS, Android

Scout Elf ideas
Free
If your home has one of Santa's team of crack spies, you'll know the crushing pressure of the Elf on the Shelf. Some people get an elf with a great imagination, concocting ever more fantastic ideas for his (or her) antics every night; the rest of us are just happy the elf remembers to move to a new hiding place each night. Mind you, those with a particularly destructive elf might find cutting off access to Facebook groups dedicated to the tradition could improve the situation; no one needs to be cleaning up a floor covered in flour at 7am, or explaining to a family member why a stripe has been shaved into their head.

If your elf needs a bit of direction, the Scout Elf Ideas app might help. Not only does it show off some of the less extreme hiding places other elves have come up with, it also has a range of printable props such as letter boards (for holding up a sign), poems, cardboard photo booths and a daytrip kit for an elf that also involves a glass jar.

There's also the obligatory shop, so you can buy new outfits and props for your elves.
Available for: iOS, Android

BBC Good Food app
€5.49 per month
In need of a little food inspiration for Christmas? BBC's Good Food is usually full of ideas. The app requires a subscription, but it also has a fairly generous three-month free trial before the €30 a year (or €5.49 a month) fee kicks in. That's enough to get you through Christmas, and you'll probably forget to cancel it. Either way, the app gives you access to recipes, how-to videos and masterclasses, a virtual recipe box to store your favourite recipes and access to the Good Food experts. The subscription also gets rid of the ads.
Available for: iOS, Android

Just Eat
Or Deliveroo. Or UberEats. In fact, any app that allows you to order in when you feel like you can't face another slice of turkey should be added to the list. Make a new Christmas tradition that involves eating anything but turkey, ham and cranberry sauce as soon as the takeaways and restaurants are open.
Available for: iOS, Android, web