The festive season is all about warmth, joy, and togetherness—but preparing everything in time for Christmas Day can feel overwhelming. Luckily, the technology you already own can be a valuable tool to ease the pressure of Christmas and grant you more time to enjoy the festive cheer. Whether you’re hosting a cosy family gathering or connecting with loved ones across the globe, technology can sprinkle a little extra magic on your festive season.

Planning the day

Get Christmas ready by organising your schedule. The calendar app on your smart device can help you visualise where and when you’ll be over the festive period—so you don’t end up with all those days merging into one. You can also send calendar invites to friends and family to keep everyone on the same page. 

With your schedule organised, you can start planning your gifts. To help you stay on top of presents, you could set up reminders on your smart assistant to prompt you to order gifts and remind you of shipping deadlines. If you own an Amazon Alexa, you could even use it to order any last-minute gifts with Amazon Prime. 

Host with the most 

If you’re hosting guests, smart living options can help you create the ideal festive atmosphere. Try to incorporate smart lighting into your Christmas decor, whether it’s wrapped around the tree or illuminating your home in warm reds and greens: this is sure to maintain the Christmas magic, with voice and app control options. You could also create a festive music playlist to play on your smart speaker—why not share the link with your guests so they can queue their own song selections? 

For many, food is the heart of festivity—which can be stressful if you’re the chef. This year, try to let technology do the hard work for you so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the special day. Your smart oven, Wi-Fi-enabled slow cooker, and Instant Pots will let you remotely monitor your cooking and use preset models for effortless results. Some smart appliances will even let you start, monitor, and pause cooking directly through an app, giving you extra time to enjoy festive cheer. 

Entertainment for everyone

For cosy entertainment, you could stream Christmas movies on your TV with apps like Apple TV, Netflix, Prime Video, and many more. If you’re seeking something more immersive on your Sky Smart TV, use the voice search and ask, “Where’s Santa?” to see a real-time tracker of Santa’s journey as he delivers presents around the world.

There are many more ways technology can enhance the magic of Christmas. From a wide range of free Santa trackers available on web browsers to digital advent calendars that add excitement to each December day with a new virtual gift, there are limitless festive tech entertainment options. There are even festive webmail services or creative apps that turn your loved ones into funny elves. 

Spread cheer from afar

Not everyone can be at the Christmas table, and that’s okay. With loved ones dotted across the globe, travelling for the festive season can be a stretch. But tech can help you bridge this gap. 

You can use video-calling apps like Zoom, FaceTime, or WhatsApp for virtual gatherings so everyone can feel included this Christmas. If time zones don’t align, you could always share a digital photo album or post highlights on social media to keep the spirit alive and let people know you’re thinking of them, even if you’re not together.

Final thoughts

Christmas should be about joy, not stress. With the right technology, you can simplify planning, hosting, and connecting—leaving more time to spread Christmas cheer with your loved ones. Embrace tech this holiday season to make Christmas easier, more connected, and even more precious.