Happy Christmas! We hope you’re having a good one. Even the best festive days tend to come with a point where things slow down, conversation dips, and you find yourself looking for a quiet moment to yourself. When that happens, an iPhone or iPad and a good read can be exactly what you need.
We’ve published plenty of Christmas-adjacent content over the past couple of weeks, so here’s a quick recap of what’s worth dipping into today if you’ve missed anything – and what you should buy to fill the time until the New Year and beyond.
Christmas apps
As in previous years, our Christmas app roundups are still very much the place to start. The Christmas Day guide focuses on tools that help the day itself run a little more smoothly, whether that’s food, music, games, or just something to keep everyone entertained once the plates are cleared. Our Christmas Planning roundup is also still relevant if there’s more cooking, traveling, or organizing to be done over the next few days.
Awards season
If you’re looking for something new explore, we just last week published our TapSmart App Awards and TapSmart Game Awards for 2025, giving our favorite apps and games of the year a place to shine. You could also check out Apple’s own App Store Awards, which landed earlier this month with a completely different set of winners to ours. It’s an interesting contrast, and a great way to discover apps and games you might otherwise have overlooked.
Longer reads
If you’re in the mood for something more substantial, there are a couple of recent pieces worth your time if you haven’t read them yet. After two months of testing, lead writer Craig Grannell’s still insists that the baseline iPhone 17 is definitely the best buy of the year. We’ve also published a deep dive into Night Sky, exploring how the app turns your iPhone into a surprisingly powerful window on the heavens. Good for a spot of festive stargazing with all the family.
Christmas shopping
If you’ve been lucky enough to receive some Christmas cash, now’s a good time to check out our recently updated buyer’s guides. We’ve refreshed our recommendations across a range of Apple gear, making it easier to figure out where your money is best spent, whether you’re upgrading an old device or adding a new accessory to your setup.
Even though the time to buy for others has just passed, revisit our 2025 gift guide for ideas on what to treat yourself to with your new-found wealth.
There’s also a surprisingly strong selection of premium puzzle games discounts this week – well worth a look if you enjoy slower, more thoughtful games that you can chew over until you go back to work.
Enjoy the rest of the break, and we’ll see you on the other side of Christmas!