This week we'll tip you off to some great apps that will bring smiles and fun for all ages during the Christmas holiday. You get some great entertainment ideas for your kids, singing carols, listening to holiday music, and cooking.
Even if you aren't able to carry a note or remember the words to popular Christmas carols the app Christmas Carols by iChristmas can help. For the low price of $.99 (iTunes link) you will get an app that presents all the popular traditional Christmas carols accompanied by their music and lyrics. If a song is copyrighted, but you own a copy and have it in your iTunes library and synced to your iOS device the app will play the song and display the lyrics for it so you can sing-a-long.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
123 Glow is a holiday HD coloring book by Steve Glinberg that offers 30 brightly glowing colors, 48 drawings to be colored in, pictures and stickers to use to make glowing creations, and some tricks to prevent painting outside the lines.
The app is fun, easy to use, and makes a pretty good substitute for crayons or magic markers. Especially the latter since those can get pretty messy.
You can snag a copy of your own for only $3.99 via this iTunes link.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
WunderRadio by Weather Underground is a great source for all kinds of music, but you can also use its search feature for Christmas holiday music. You can purchase the app for $6.99 via this iTunes link. Once you have a copy of the app, launch it, tap the search field and enter Christmas. You'll be presented with a list of radio stations playing Christmas music you can listen to, sing-a-long with, etc. Plug your iOS device into a stereo, car radio, etc. and you'll be singing along with your friends and family in no time. Or you can just enjoy some background music for a holiday party.
There are other free alternatives to WunderRadio, but this app is one of our personal favorites.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
We get around in the kitchen fairly well -- no one is starving at Mac|Life, but we aren't always creative or full of culinary ideas. Luckily we have the free Epicurious Recipes and Shopping List app to help. If your good or even clumsy in the kitchen it can help so go grab a copy for yourself via this iTunes link.
Once you've acquired a copy of Epicurious you can use it to search for recipes for all aspects of your 12 course Christmas holiday dinner. You can share the recipes with your favorite Aunt or Uncle. Pick a recipe and compile a grocery shopping list with the app. Bring that list to the store and buy your ingredients, bring them home and use the apps kitchen-friendly views to prepare each recipe step-by-step.
This app makes cooking fun and easy for practically everyone - even you microwave chefs out there. Eat your heart out Martha Stewart.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
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