Connecting with Santa is easier than ever thanks to these tech tools!
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Portable North Pole has been a perennial favorite for 14 years now. It’s a slick way to get a personalized message from the big guy himself.
“Portable north pole is part of a new Christmas tradition for a lot of families,” said Alex Berard, Chief Elf Officer of Portable North Pole.
You can create one video for free or pay to upgrade for more. There is a ton of selection here and the quality is impressive. The video will include your child’s name, city, photo and other personal details. PNP tells me since they don’t have any ads, your data isn’t sold or shared.
There’s also a neat premium feature that lets you record your child’s reaction to their video using the front facing camera on your phone.
“Kids are really strong with new technology so it’s not a big surprise for them to have access to Santa in a personalized way like this… I think they’re expecting it,” said Berard.
Capture the Magic has several apps, including one specific to Santa. All you have to do is use the app to snap a photo, then choose a Santa or holiday sticker to add to your snapshot. Your Santa visit will be well documented for years to come!
Like many Santa apps, Capture the Magic gives you a few options for free, but you can pay for more.
If you want Santa on video, check out the Catch Santa AR app. It uses augmented reality to “summon” Santa to your space, where you can record the scene.
A few scenes are included, but if you want more, you can pay to unlock others.
This app is a bit slow to load and process things, but it does work well once you’re actually seeing Santa and recording the scene.
Your kids can get a personalized call from Santa using an app called Message from Santa. First, you enter a few details about your child, then schedule a call. It can be a few seconds or a few minutes out.
Next, hand your phone to your child as it rings, and they can pick up to hear Santa’s voice and message.
It’s cute when it works, but be warned, this one is loaded with lots of ads, and not all of them are appropriate for the little ones.
If you have one of Amazon’s smart speakers, you an activate a special Santa Personality. Just say, Alexa, enable Hey Santa on a supported speaker like the Echo.
Then, your speaker will respond to both Alexa and Hey, Santa for commands. Try asking Santa to sing a song, tell a story, a joke or more. Be sure to ask if you’re nice or naughty.
To disable the Santa personality, open your Alexa app and tap the settings for your speaker.
For the 66th year, Norad will be tracking Santa online!
You can see a countdown to Christmas day and watch his progress on the big night! Kids can also call 1-877-HI-NORAD (with parent’s permission, of course) to potentially reach a real operator or a recorded message about Santa’s whereabouts on Christmas Eve only.
