‘Tis the season for social media, shopping, spending time with family and gift giving! Since there are so many helpful apps out there awaiting your discovery, we thought we’d give you a hand! We know our fans, out and about in the hustle and bustle of it all, using their smart phones for holiday deals and planning! So here it is folks –our favorite holiday apps!

Elissa: Instagram

Make yourself look like a professional photographer with Instagram while you’re capturing your 2011 family moments! You can hook up Instagram to all of your social networks to immediately share.

Nitsa: Amazon PriceCheck

This nifty app allows you to search products by scanning the bar code, speaking the name, or taking a picture of it. You can view competing prices on Amazon and it gives you access to reviews of the product.

“It allows me to do some pre-purchase research on-the-spot. It’s also linked to my Amazon account so I can order directly from Amazon if their price is best (very dangerous because it has my debit card info, which means I can order anything with just the touch of a button). So when I’m in the store, I can see if anything is worth buying at after-Christmas sales.”

Sarah: Foursquare

Take Foursquare Christmas shopping with you. Sarah does!

“I like it because when I go Christmas shopping, I can browse through the places nearby (like the mall) and see what special offers they have. It's like getting little surprise deals while I shop!”

Caroline: Norad Tracks Santa

Build up the Christmas excitement with your kids by tracking where Santa goes from time zone to time zone!

"My kids have NORAD up all day on Christmas Eve. They learn about different countries, how time zones work and it brings a sense of wonder to the day as they count down the hours until Santa arrives in our neighborhood!"

Ashley: Gift Plan

Keep track of everyone on your list! A great app for all year because you can pull in your Facebook friends' birthdays and anniversaries! This app comes complete with push reminders, an idea section to jot down notes and even a place to store sizes, likes, ideas and previous purchases.

“I love it because I stay organized all year long! When I stumble on something that would make the perfect gift for ___, I put it in my idea section so that when Christmas comes, I’ve found the perfect gift for everyone without having to scramble!”

Kay: Simple Soiree

Kay loves planning soirees! This is her favorite app to do it with! You can invite and keep track of attendees straight from your phone’s contact lists, as well as keep track of your to-do and shopping lists!

Lucia: Red Laser

Red Laser allows you to scan any barcode to check prices from online and local retailers.

“This saves me tons on Christmas shopping when I’m out and about!”

Now that we’ve shared our favorite apps, what are yours?

apps ballywho holiday seasonal Staff picks