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During the busy holiday season your BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook can be your best friend. They can help you stay in touch with family and friends, get some shopping done, help cook up your favorite holiday dishes and even set the mood for family gatherings. If you have the right apps at your disposal, your BlackBerry can be an amazing tool to help you get through the hectic weeks of the holidays without a hitch. Keep reading and check out some great tips for surviving the holidays with your BlackBerry.

Making the most of your BlackBerry over the holidays  


Stay In Touch

Call from Santa

Obvisouly your BlackBerry is a great communication tool year round, but don't forget to reach out to distant family or friends for the holidays. A quick phone call, SMS or even an email can say a lot to those you don't talk to often. If you have family or friends that are also BlackBerry users, jumping on BBM Voice for a quick call or even a PlayBook Video Chat -- these are great ways to let someone know you are thinking of them.

Tackle Your Gift List

Christmas Shopping

I love to use my BlackBerry for taking care of my Christmas list. I typically do most of my shopping online while my wife heads to the stores (dangerous, I know) so we use Cozi Family Organizer to keep our lists in sync. We use it all the time for our regular food shoppping list, but it comes in especially handy over the holidays. If you're flying solo or want to keep a "secret" list, the BlackBerry MemoPad or Task app will get the job done as well.

Travel With Ease 

BlackBerry Travel

Traveling for the holidays? Make your life easy with BlackBerry Travel or TripIt. These two apps will watch your flights and hotels, give you updated flight information, weather and much more. Sync your plans with your BlackBerry calendar so you know just where you'll be and when. Forward your itinerary to your family/friends so they know your plans and won't miss picking you up at the airport!

Set The Mood

Carolers

I always like to have some good music going when we have people over during the holidays. I love Christmas and have a great mix on Spotify that everyone seems to love (at least they don't tell me if they hate it). You can use your own music stored on your device, stream through apps like Spotify, Slacker or Pandora or if you have a BlackBerry with FM radio just pick a good station and let it play.  

Take things one step further with a new BlackBerry Music Gateway so you can wirelessly stream music to your home stereo and control it from your BlackBerry! 

Cook It Up! 

Christmas Dinner

Your BlackBerry can best your best friend in the kitchen when you're prepping that big meal. Look no further than apps like Cooklet or Recipe Box to help you find that perfect recipe for entertaining.  There are hundreds of meals and sides to choose from so you can get creative and find something that fits your style.

Light The Fire

Yule Log

I used to love the old yule log that was on network TV when I was a kid. Since it's so hard to find one now I've decided to just bring my own wherever I go. Thanks to apps like Fireplace you can have a fire on your PlayBook no matter where you are. Hook it up via HDMI and stream your fireplace to most TVs in high definition! 

BlackBerry Etiquette

Phone Stack

Don't forget to be mindful of others when you're at your holiday gatherings. Put your phone on vibrate, silent or better yet -- turn it off. Take the time to appreciate what you have and not be tied to your phone. I know it's tough for most of us, but trust me, it's for the best.

If you really have to keep your phone on, check it privately and don't bust it out non-stop. It's rude and your family will think better of you if you aren't grasping it constantly. At meals you can even stack up the phones on the table to make sure no one is distracted. First one to grab their phone before the meal is over does the dishes!

What are some of your tips for maximizing your BlackBerry over the holidays? Leave a comment and let us know!  

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