It’s nearly Christmas time and we hope that you will get to spend it with your friends and family. And wouldn’t it be nice to give yourself and your family a bit of a technology-break too? Instead of being glued to the screen at a Christmas table, live-tweeting your Christmas gift unboxing or Instagraming every piece of food that gets on your plate, how about you forget about your phone and tablet for a couple of days and enjoy the company of real people for the change? If you can’t imagine the world where this is possible, we have a few tips to get everyone onboard with the idea.
1. Have a gadget-free dinner. Now, there’s a well-working trick that’s been circling around, and you probably know about it: get everyone at the table stack their phones in the middle and whoever reaches for the phone first pays the bill. This might not work if you’re having a meal at home, but you can come up with a different penalty for taking the phone (or tablet) out of the stack.
2. Reward the gadget-free time. Candy works well, if you have any stocking-stuffers around this might work great too. That’s probably going to work best with the kids, but they might be the ones mostly distracted by the phones or tablets.
3. If a friend texts – call them back. If you are waiting for an important text or contact – make a phone call out of it. First of all, having a verbal conversation is more personal. Secondly, sending messages back and forth might distract you for a much longer time than a quick phone call would.
4. Plan activities during dinner. Any conversation can get into a stall, and as with any other parties, Christmas get-together would also benefit from some extra entertainment. Schedule in some games or activities during your Christmas dinner. Go on a walk or a hike with your family and friend after opening your Christmas gifts.
5. Have a “Social Media break”. If your family and friends really cannot sit through a Christmas dinner without Instagraming, Facebooking or Tweeting – pencil in a break for the social media updates & check ups. Perhaps, this might result into a more thoughtful updates too.
These might be handy even after Christmas too. We hope you have a very peaceful and joyful holiday.