The December holidays are filled with fun, festivity, and often, chaos. From planning holiday events and finding the perfect gifts to preparing festive meals and capturing cherished memories, there’s a lot to juggle.
AI-powered apps are here to help. TCL suggests some Android apps to help you get the most from the summer holidays.
1. Get yourself organised
The December holidays are a frantic time, requiring you to keep a lot of balls in the air—events to attend, gifts to buy, holidays and functions to plan, menus to prepare, shopping to be done, and more. Apps like Todoist, Any.do and Google Calendar have smart integrations that help you stay on top of your hectic schedule.
2. Find personalised gift ideas
Trying to think of the best presents to buy for friends and family? Ask a generative AI app like Claude or ChatGPT for help. Simply type up a query along these lines, the more specific the better: “I’d like to buy my dad something special for Christmas. He is 40, supports Kaizer Chiefs, loves to cycle and play golf, and reads lots of crime thrillers. My budget is less than R300.” You’ll get a list of recommendations tailored to your question.
3. Create smart, beautiful cards and invitations
AI-driven apps like Canva and Picsart can help you craft festive stunning, personalised greeting cards, gift tags and invitations. If you’re already a good artist who knows how to use digital tools to create artwork, AI apps will make you more productive. If you’re not, they’ll help you discover your inner artist.
4. Prepare tasty and creative festive season menus
Trying to come up with a menu that hits the spot for a diverse group of people? Apps like Yummly and Tasty use algorithms to suggest recipes you love based on criteria such as ingredients, cuisine style and dietary requirements. They can help out if you’re needing to cater for people ranging from a vegan niece and an uncle on the keto diet, and those who just want a good, old traditional Christmas lunch.
5. Curate your Christmas playlist and movie night
Use music streaming apps like Spotify and YouTube Music to create AI-generated holiday playlists based on your music preferences to set the perfect festive mood. Video apps like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, meanwhile, can offer AI-fuelled recommendations for holiday movies and shows tailored to your viewing history.
6. Record and share your memories
AI apps can help you elevate your videos and photos of your festive season memories to the next level. Remini is an AI-powered photo enhancer for creating high-quality holiday family photos, while Lightroom offers intuitive AI-assisted tools, presets, filters, and advanced features that give you full control and pro results. CapCut gives youAI tools to edit and create stylish holiday videos or TikToks effortlessly.
7. Stay on top of your health and mental wellness
The Christmas season, in addition to being a time of joy and fun, is also associated with unhealthy eating and some degree of stress. Use an app like MyFitnessPal to tracks holiday eating with AI insights and maintain a healthy balance. Calm, meanwhile, offers AI-curated meditation and sleep sessions to help you relax.
