This time of year can get hectic. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is real, and sometimes it seems everyone spends their limited downtime staring at a screen rather than connecting with others.
It can be tempting to constantly nag at people to get off their phones, but consider a shift in perspective: What if we could use the devices around us to help us remember the true meaning of Christmas?
Here are three simple ways members of our families can use technology to put the focus of the holidays right where it belongs. Consider using these tools as a way to enable the devices around you to add to the season instead of detracting from it.
Jesus is Born! app
For the youngest among us, download the Jesus is Born! app. It enables Mac, iPad or iPhone users to entertain little ones with the story of the Nativity. Read through five different stories surrounding the birth of baby Jesus accompanied by darling cartoon illustrations.
Another part of the app allows little fingers to interact with scenes from the Nativity by moving animals and other objects around. Once they’re satisfied with their scene, they can save it to the camera roll.
Additionally, illustrations depicting various scenes from the story can be assembled via on-screen puzzle pieces. Kids can decide what level of difficulty is involved by choosing among puzzles with 6, 12 or 24 pieces.
The app also offers six different digital coloring pages with scenes from the stories.
Cost: This app is free with zero ads and doesn’t collect any data at all.
Alcove VR
Older children may opt to connect with the Nativity story in a more tech-forward fashion. If you know older kids with virtual reality headsets, you can give them the opportunity to take a 360-degree virtual tour of Christmas time in Bethlehem by downloading Alcove VR for your Meta Quest. It houses virtual tours from all corners of the world.
Ironically, this app is geared toward seniors because of its ease of use, but teenagers don’t need to know that. They can choose the Bethlehem tour to explore the Church of the Nativity, Manger Square and other key locations in the story.
Looking around these scenes through their headsets can be a great jumping off point for older kids to discover more about Jesus’ birth. Users can invite up to three Quest friends to tour with them, so maybe give grandma an invite, too.
Christmas texts
For a modern nativity twist, sign up to receive texts that prompt you to serve and give. If you text the word ‘LIGHT’ to 71234, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will send you various ideas of how to serve others.
The prompts are all inspired by examples found in the Bible’s Christmas story. Each text features a character from the Nativity and how you can display similar traits in today’s world.
For instance, the first role you may receive could be that of the star. The text will explain how the star directed people to Jesus and invite you to find a way to brighten someone’s life.
These texts can serve as a starter for insightful discussions among family members as you decide how to answer each invitation. When you are ready for your next role, text back NEXT and you’ll receive another prompt.