The holiday season is approaching, so it is time to prepare your device with festive apps. Get into the spirit while by having some fun, decorating your screen, and sending a cheerful greeting. These 10 jolly apps for iPhone are on Santa's nice list.

1. A Call From Santa! (Free)

If you have children who would love to communicate with Santa Claus, then check out A Call From Santa! This fun app lets you call and leave Santa a voicemail, schedule a call with him, or send him a text message. You can also decide if Santa should call himself Santa Claus or Father Christmas.

a call from santa iphone

The app is super easy to use and a great way keep that magic of Santa Claus alive with your little ones. A Call From Santa! is available for free for iPhone and iPad. There is a $1.99 in-app purchase for additional features such as passcode access for parents, a customized call using your child's name, and ad-removal.

2. Candy Christmas Countdown! (Free)

When you have time during the busy holiday season for an enjoyable game, Candy Christmas Countdown! is a jovial, upbeat option. This match-three puzzler has over 300 levels, cute characters, and power-ups.

candy christmas countdown iphone

Complete with background Christmas music, the game challenges you to make matches within a certain number of moves. You will match to collect the treats, gifts, and other holiday themed items shown at the beginning of each level.

Candy Christmas Countdown! is available for free for iPhone and iPad. There are in-app purchases starting at $0.99 for extra lives, moves, and snowballs to help you in the game.

3. Gift It (Free)

For keeping track of your holiday gifts and ideas, Gift It is a festive shopping list app. You can create multiple lists, which is handy when buying for several people. The app offers useful features such as a budget amount per list, task progress settings, and a Christmas countdown on the main screen.

If you like to keep your holiday shopping lists separate from your other list apps, Gift It is easy to use and has nice Christmas visuals. The app is ad-supported and available for free for iPhone and iPad. There are in-app purchases starting at $1.99 for ad-removal or password protection.

gift it iphone

4. ElfYourself by Office Depot, Inc. (Free)

If you are looking for a good laugh during the holidays, ElfYourself by Office Depot is the perfect way to get it. You simply choose a dance and then add faces of your friends and family. Then, sit back and watch a short video of a hilarious holiday jig. Save the clip to your device or share it directly from the app to put a smile on someone's face.

elf yourself iphone

The app lets you capture photos or pick them from your library. Faces are also saved so that you can reuse them for different dances. Add up to five face photos and include a greeting which displays at the end of the video.

ElfYourself by Office Depot is available for free for iPhone and iPad. There are in-app purchases starting at $0.99 for specific dance types like disco, Charleston, and house party.

5. Christmas Countdown!! (Free)

You will not have to wonder or count how many days are remaining until Christmas with Christmas Countdown!! This handy holiday app shows you a count each day along with subtle but delightful Christmas music.

christmas countdown iphone

As a bonus, the app will display a seasonal quote with a simple tap on the gifts. The quote can be saved in a favorites area or shared from within the app. Christmas Countdown!! offers a pleasant way to see how many shopping days you have left until the holiday.

The app is available for free on iPhone and iPad. There is a $0.99 in-app purchase for a Premium Upgrade which removes the ads.

6. Christmas Wallpaper Collection 2016 (Free) [No Longer Available]

You do not have to stick to decorating your tree or your home this holiday season. Why not dress up your device too? Christmas Wallpaper Collection 2016 offers a nice selection of backgrounds for a cheerful, festive look.

christmas wallpaper 2016 iphone

Choose from sparkly ornaments, silver bells, or cuddly characters. The app lets you view backgrounds for both your Home and Lock screens, as well as zoom, save, and share. Christmas Wallpaper Collection 2016 is ad-supported while browsing and available for free for iPhone and iPad.

7. Light My Fire: A Hanukkah App (Free) [No Longer Available]

Holiday apps are not all about Christmas, Hanukkah is on the way too. Light My Fire lets you display the lamp of your choice along with an attractive background or your own photo. Select a night to begin and just drag to light your menorah.

light my fire hanukkah iphone

Light My Fire also includes information on each lamp, lets you save your favorite ones, and allows you to share directly from the app. There are also blessings for you to view in English or Hebrew. The app comes from The Jewish Museum in New York and is available for free for both iPhone and iPad.

8. Happy New Year Countdown Begins (Free)

For a convenient countdown to the New Year, this app shows you the days and time down to the second. Happy New Year Countdown Begins is a vibrantly colored app with background music for added enjoyment.

You can share the app with others via email, Facebook, or Twitter so that your friends or family can appreciate it too. Happy New Year Countdown Begins is available for free for iPhone and iPad. An in-app purchase for $0.99 will remove the ads, give you daily push notifications, and provide themes with additional music options.

happy new year countdown begins iphone

9. Happy New Year 2017 HD Wallpapers (Free)

When you are ready to spruce up your device for the new year, Happy New Year 2017 HD Wallpapers provides several lovely options. With a champagne toast, bright fireworks, and other shimmering options, there are 15 backgrounds in all.

The app lets you add text in a variety of styles and colors and share a wallpaper to use it as a greeting. Happy New Year 2017 HD Wallpapers is available for free for iPhone. Note that you may need to adjust the perspective when setting the background to your Home or Lock screen.

happy new year 2017 wallpaper iphone

10. 123Greetings Ecards (Free)

123Greetings Ecards may not be specific to the holiday season; however, the app provides a wonderful selection of greetings for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and more. There is a section just for holidays that offers subcategories for easy browsing. Or, pop a keyword into the search box if you prefer.

Once you choose a greeting, you can view it, send it, or share it directly from the app. 123Greetings Ecards also offers a scheduling feature, events calendar, holiday notifications, and integration with your Facebook calendar for birthdays.

123 greetings iphone

For an e-card greeting app that has you covered all year-round, this is a terrific choice. 123Greetings Ecards is ad-supported, available for free, and designed for both iPhone and iPad.

Do You Have an App That Gets You Into the Holiday Spirit?

There are so many apps available on the App Store for the holidays that it can be tough to narrow it down. Whether for Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year's, if you have an app that makes you smile during the season, feel free to share it in the comments.

How are you preparing for the holiday season this year?