8 ways technology can enhance the holiday season

Soon holiday music will fill the air — punctuated by the rings and dings of smartphones and other technology.

Regardless of their traditions, lots of families will be making rules about when NOT to use cellphones — for instance, during midnight Mass, at the Kwanzaa dinner table or while lighting Hanukkah candles. Most parents can agree that it’s a good idea to set aside part of the holidays to focus entirely on the people who have gathered in the same room.

But it’s also helpful to remember that technology can bring families closer, especially at this time of year. Young people, in particular, filter much of their experience through their phones, so turning off their devices for extended periods may actually make them feel less connected. Leaving them to their own devices doesn’t need to have a bad connotation.

Integrating the capabilities of technology into the holiday has several benefits. First, it allows richer contact with distant family and friends. Second, it can simplify holiday chores, from party-planning to greeting cards. And, finally, it gives tech-savvy kids a meaningful role in making the holidays special, whether by documenting every dish at the family feast or playing DJ during a holiday party.

Here are just a few ways technology can enhance the holiday season. Whenever possible, use the simplest apps so as many people as possible can participate.

1. PLAN PARTIES

Does your neighborhood do an annual caroling party? Would you like to get friends together for a cookie exchange?  Do you want family members to take charge of a dish for the family feast? Using an app like Party Planner will help you manage the details, from inviting guests and tracking responses to delegating tasks and keeping a grip on the budget. Entering necessary information the first year may take a little time, but it lays the groundwork for effortless traditions in years ahead.

2. SEND GREETINGS

Even though fewer families have time for handwritten cards or newsletters, the tradition of sharing holiday greetings is worth preserving. Use your phone to take a photo or make a short video that captures what’s unique about your family this year. Do something goofy, sing a few lines of a song together, have each family member write or speak about something memorable. Distribute it through social media, email or even in an envelope. Do this every year and you’ll have created a very special timeline that shows your kids growing up before your eyes.

3. START A FAMILY MEDIA CHANNEL

Establish a blog or a social media group, and limit access to extended family and special friends. Invite, kids, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents to participate, providing whatever support they need to get connected. Encourage everyone to post recipes, inside jokes, holiday memories, bits of family lore. To make people more comfortable about sharing things that are heartfelt or silly, establish a simple rule: Whatever appears on the site is not permitted to be shared anywhere else without permission.

4. TUNE UP

Build a festive family playlist for the holidays and other occasions. Take requests from everyone old enough to talk. Of course, there are holiday playlists available on streaming sites like Pandora, but it’s  a lot more meaningful — and fun — to juxtapose grandma’s favorites from the  ’40s with something your nephew learned in preschool.

5. CHAT LONG DISTANCE 

Coming home for the holidays is not always feasible. Schedule a time for a video chat with distant loved ones. Group chats can sometimes be awkward so encourage family members to take turns. Do a little coaching so kids are prepared to thank relatives for gifts and maybe even model clothes or demonstrate what they can do with a new toy. Light candles or sing together. Ask questions that prompt elders to share memories and stories.

6. GROUP TEXT

If video chatting makes everyone (especially teens) self-conscious, try using GroupMe, a free app that allows everyone in the family to see the same text messages. GroupMe works with SMS and every smartphone platform. Give it a try in your immediate family, and then expand the group to include cousins and other relatives.

7. PLAY GAMES

Ask pre-teens for the best family-friendly games or find apps that simulate classics like Scrabble and Checkers. Help grandparents sign up so they can play across the room or across the country. If someone in the family is lucky enough to get a video-game system, be sure at least one game is easy enough and light-hearted enough to be played by all ages. Consider creating customized games for your family. For example, try making up a scavenger hunt that involves taking photos connected with family traditions — a beloved family ornament, a sleeping relative, Grandpa’s favorite cookie, or the dog wearing a holiday hat.

8. COLLECT PHOTOS

On special occasions, everyone takes photos and videos on their own phones. Even if someone says, “Send me that picture,” people forget and, consequently, fragments of the holiday disappear into albums on various devices. This year, set up a password-protected site on Flckr, Instagram or even Google. Send the link to everyone in the family. Ask them to upload their favorite photos and videos to a create a collective album.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways technology can make the holidays more fun and even more meaningful. Embracing these possibilities with an open heart makes it more likely that everyone will respond well when someone says, “Let’s put away our phones now!”