It’s that time of year, fellow students!
Many of you have handed in your textbooks, turned your back on the late nights and early mornings, and migrated home for the winter; all ready to raid the fridge and bask in the soft, comfortable glow of the holidays.
For those of you who are waiting on Santa’s sleigh this year, and who are suffering the slow burn of impatience as the 25th draws closer, I have some suggestions which might relieve your anguish and bring you a little joy. Here are some free, festive ways that you can use the internet to place yourself at the heart of one of the most well-loved children’s stories of the holidays.
A Message From Santa
Have young children in the family? Want to dial up the anticipation to maximum levels? Check out Portable North Pole; a free service which allows you to create a personalised video message from Santa to the children, to really solidify some extra excitement. (Or maybe you just want to make one for yourself. I won’t tell anyone. You’re among friends here, I promise).
“He's Making a List, He’s Checking it Twice”
Yup, he is indeed coming to town. And thanks to Google, and the scary-sounding North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), who have each coined their own live-action Santa tracker, you’ll be able to track his progress on Christmas Eve, in real time!
Why, you ask?
Maybe, like me, you’re from somewhere like Manchester, where clear skies are as common as Darth Bagpipes on a unicycle; craning out of the window to catch a glimpse of Rudolf will get you nowhere, and only hurt your neck. Or maybe you are agonising over whether you have been naughty or nice this year. (Volunteering with RAG and holding your flatmate’s hair back after they had a few too many, versus chatting in the library and internet piracy .... it’s a tough one). Either way, if you want to stalk the big man to see whether he deems you gift-worthy, or bypasses your house altogether, Santa Tracker is for you!
Elf Yourself!
Elf Yourself is my particular favourite. Ever wondered what you would look like in a troupe of dancing Christmas elves? Wonder no longer! Elf yourself is an online application where you can create an e-card of yourself and others as dancing elves; it’s super easy to navigate, you can alternate between different music, and it’s guaranteed to prompt a few laughs.
So next time you are sighing, and counting down the final minutes until you hear those jingle bells, just fire up the computer and pass the time with a few of the internet's spirited, Christmassy antics. But remember: if you creep downstairs too early this year, you are going on my naughty list.
If you know of any more ways that the internet is enhancing people's festivities, let me know in the comments! Happy holidays, everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment