as a self confessed christmas addict, i thought i’d share some of my favourite christmas websites and apps, some funny, some useful and some just downright amazing.
websites
if you’ve yet to grab your tree this year check out the forestry commission site for a list of their sales centres. if you’re planning on a real tree, turn it into an experience with many centres offering extras like sleigh rides and the chance to select your tree from those growing in the forest. and as it’s forestry commission, you know it’s sustainable so more trees are planted for every one cut down.
rather than sending a boring card to your friends, why not make them the star of their own video! this clever little app allows you to superimpose your friend’s faces onto a variety of dancing elves and then share the video with whoever you want. the effect is very amusing for all concerned.
an oldie but still a great site. track santa’s progress as he travels the world on christmas eve delivering presents to all the children (young and old!)
the mb joule – make your own papercraft ornament
this one will amaze you. the clever people at moving brands have come up with a lovely approach to personalising their christmas messages this year. they created 500 joules which are 3d papercraft oranements, laser cut with a printed circuit using conductive ink. when the ornaments were assembled and hooked up to a tiny led and battery the glow and are really quite beautiful. unless you have all of these items at home it’s tricky to replicate but the tool on their website allows you to design your own to enter into the gallery or print and out assemble at home.
royal mail christmas posting dates
boring but necessary. royal mail helpfully lets us know when the last posting days are to guarantee delivery before christmas. very helpful for people like me who leave everything to the last minute. to make it a little more fun though, they also have an app that allows you to create your own postage stamps.
the usual speculation about the chances of a white christmas have been rife for weeks now. but if you are still hoping for flakes on the 25th, the met office has a section regularly updated which gives you a prediction for snow as well as what officially classes as a white christmas (for all you betting people out there)
apps
hopefully most of us can work this out from this point without the need for an app, but this one is a personal favourite of mine. it counts down the number of sleeps, or the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds till the big day with the help of your choice of characters and a selection of christmas songs. i usually start tracking it from the 1st september but for anyone extra keen, the countdown resets on christmas day so you can begin tracking sleeps till christmas 2013 right away.
great for anyone stuck in the office over christmas. the app has 17 different games and plays more than 25 different christmas songs. guaranteed to have you addicted. the app costs £1.49 but is worth every penny.
after christmas
for those super savvy shoppers already planning your january sales hunt, the lovely people at myfamilyclub have compiled a list of the major high street sales kick off dates. the page will be updated over the coming week to list all of the main retailers both online and off.
while few of us are thinking about being healthy over the christmas period but nobody wants to get sick from an undercooked turkey or a nasty hangover. milton keynes nhs have put together a few little videos to help you stay healthy and of course there are links to pharmacy opening times and advice on which service to use if you’re feeling poorly.
from everyone at bet伟德安卓下载 we’d like to wish you all a very merry christmas and thank you for all your support this year. we are gearing up for a very exciting 2013 so keep checking back for more updates.