• December 2015
• >
• Web Exclusive

I’ll Call Home for Christmas

Apps to help you navigate a long-distance relationship this holiday season.

Web Exclusive

“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays
’Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze
For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home.”

There might be no place like home for the holidays, but sometimes it isn’t an option to travel long-distance to see friends or family. Being separated from loved ones during the holidays can be lonely. But in the digital age, it’s easy to make the miles disappear, no matter how far away you roam.

 

Skype

Skype is one of the most popular ways to keep in touch with your loved ones. All you need is a computer with a built-in camera (or buy a mounted computer camera at retailers like Best Buy), and then you can download the free program and place video calls to anyone in the world. skype.com

 

E-cards

It might seem corny, but family members love receiving electronic greeting cards. Typically, e-cards are premade videos with songs and messages embedded in them, but some e-cards allow you to personalize them with your own photos and voice messages. Websites that offer free e-cards include hallmarkecards.com, americangreetings.com/ecards, ecards.dayspring.com, bluemountain.com and smilebox.com.

Postagram

For anyone who doesn’t want to send a postcard electronically, Postagram does it the traditional way: via snail mail. All you have to do is download the Postagram app on your phone and select a photo from your camera roll that you want to turn into a postcard. Personalize the postcard with a message and the app will send it to the address of your choice.

HeyTell

Hearing a friend of family member’s voice can be comforting, but it’s hard to schedule times to talk on the phone, especially when you factor in different time zones. HeyTell is a free app that lets you record voice messages and send them to another person, like texting with your voice. HeyTell is a good way to speak to your friends and family without the restriction of time. 

---