How to Incorporate Technology into Your Holiday Celebrations

This holiday season, use technology to make your celebrations more inclusive and festive. In this article, you’ll find some of our favorite ways to use technology during the winter holidays.

Send Digital Christmas Cards

If you usually have photo cards printed and mailed, go digital this year to save time and perhaps even money. Many people have photo printers and can print your card for display if they choose, while others might actually prefer a digital copy to use as a screensaver or to create an online holiday collage.

Flash drives are another way to save and distribute digital Christmas cards and holiday photos. You could take a Christmas card photo shoot wearing something festive—such as matching family pajamas —then save the photos onto multiple flash drives to give out to family and friends. Your loved ones can then print the pics from their own computer or use a photo printing service.

If you’re not the casual photo type, outfit your family in matching or coordinating Christmas sweaters and pose in front of a seasonal background. One idea is to stand in front of a row of personalized Christmas stockings hung on the mantel. There are decorative stocking holders to keep them in place, and you can add holiday sparkle with a string of LED lights across the mantel.

Have an Online Holiday Party

Another way to integrate technology into your holidays is by hosting an online holiday party. Whether it’s a simple Zoom meeting where everyone wears Christmas sweaters or something more elaborate, it’s entirely possible to enjoy a festive holiday celebration on a virtual basis.

Your online holiday party can be for coworkers, friends, family or anyone who chooses to attend. Some people choose to have theme parties, while others keep things casual. As we’ll discuss next, you can even give virtual gifts to online party attendees. An online Christmas party can be your only holiday gathering or simply an addition to an in-person Christmas celebration where not everyone may be able to attend.

If you and your attendees don’t decide to wear coordinating Christmas sweaters, there are other festive outfits to consider. Leggings with tunic tops are a winning combo for fall and winter that you can adapt to the holidays. For example, a buffalo-check or red-plaid flannel tunic is warm and Christmas-appropriate. Another option is a red or green women’s sweater with your choice of bottoms, whether that happens to be a dressy midi skirt or casual women’s jeans.

Give a Virtual Gift

The giving of virtual gifts can be a part of an online holiday party or something you do on its own. There are various digital gift items from which to choose, at price points ranging from gifts $100 and under to $25 and under to fit most budgets. The easiest gift of this type to give is a gift card.

Lands’ End gift cards can be purchased in many denominations and artfully presented in a holiday envelope or wrapped box. One of the advantages of gift cards is that they’re less informal than cash or a check yet allow the recipient to choose exactly what they want. You can send gift card codes directly to your recipient’ email if you want to keep things fully digital, which is also a strategy to consider if you’re shopping at the last minute and don’t have time to wait for shipping.

Set a Festive Mood with Smart Devices

If you have smart-home devices installed, you can use them to increase the festive ambiance. For example, you might set your home’s smart app to play Christmas music and turn on the Christmas lights at a certain time, so you walk into a soothing holiday atmosphere the minute you get home. Some smart home apps can do everything from preheating the oven to adjusting the thermostat.

For the days when you’re expecting guests or plan to be busy all day, smart devices can be helpful in controlling the lighting and even certain appliances from across the house or across town. Keep yourself comfortable and warm during hectic days—whether or not you have smart home tech installed—in women’s loungewear such as ribbed-cuff French terry joggers, a long-sleeve T-shirt and matching zippered fleece jacket.

More Tips for a Modern Holiday

Some of the best high-tech holiday tips are time-honored. If you don’t have time to make homemade sugar cookies, grab a pre-made roll and some red-and-green sprinkles. Turn on the TV to a classic holiday film or play Christmas music through Bluetooth speakers connected to your smartphone.