Top 10 technologies for the holiday season

With Thanksgiving upon us, we decided to count down some essential technologies for getting through not only Turkey Day, but all of the other family gatherings and festivities set to take place in the coming weeks.

Holidays are uniquely stressful times. Anthropologists say that sources of conflict multiply whenever people gather together, and the larger the group the greater the likelihood is that things will kick-off.

So here is a list of the best technologies to help you through this stressful time.

Honourable Mention: Universal remote
Shaun Nichols: More people in the house means more hands on the remote control, which means lost remotes are far more common over the holiday season. This only gets worse when you add more devices to the equation.

Enter the universal remote, a handy little bit of gear that can control all your various boxes and devices at once. While they were first considered an exotic piece of gadgetry, these days universal controllers are fairly common, and most cable providers ship them as standard with your set-top box.

If your family is the type to constantly flip through various programming, the universal remote can also be a powerful weapon. By taking control of the remote and keeping it in your pocket, you can keep others from changing the channel every time you get up and leave the room. (Particularly effective when you're trying to watch football in the presence of younger family members pining to watch more of the Sponge Bob Squarepants marathon.)

Iain Thomson: There was a guilty pleasure for both of us in this one. The ability to reset the TV is a powerful tool. But, that said, the universal remote is a godsend – not just for subverting the TV, but for dealing with the endless problems remotes have caused, i.e. where is the damn thing?

That said, I wanted this as an Honourable Mention only because setting the damn things up is a huge pain. Maybe someone like Apple could come up with a universal remote that automatically configures itself.

Honourable Mention: Printable boarding passes
Iain Thomson: Thanksgiving is the busiest time of the year at US airports, and anyone flying is bound to have a rough time of it. I've yet to meet anyone who enjoys flying over the festive period. So it makes sense to reduce the potential for hassle, and minimise your impact on hard-pressed airline staff. Printing your own boarding pass and checking in online are an excellent way to do this.

Of course, the systems aren't perfect and some airlines don't use them at all. Nevertheless, if you can get the load lightened online, do it, because it'll make life a little more pleasant for everyone and allow you to enjoy the piped muzak that airport management seems to love so much.

Shaun Nichols: If you're lucky enough to fly on an airline that allows online check-in and printable boarding passes, I highly recommend you take advantage.

Going through the long security lines and navigating the huge crowds is bad enough, and any step you can take to get round this is welcome. Being able to skip the check-in counter can save valuable minutes. If you're the type who enjoys a quick drink at the airport bar, it is a great way to buy yourself a few extra minutes to wind down before having to cram yourself onto an plane for a long flight.

10. Public transport information
Iain Thomson: This might seem like an odd one, but Thanksgiving in the US, and Christmas everywhere else, is a time to eat, drink and be merry.

Unfortunately, I've noticed that our American cousins seem a little more casual about having a drink or six and then getting behind the wheel of a car and driving home. Behaviour that would make you a social pariah in the UK is accepted here; maybe it's something to do with the lack of decent public transport.

Nevertheless, having even one drink and trying to drive is not advisable, and having more than one is downright dangerous.

So it's worthwhile bookmarking alternative transport options. If you live in the Bay Area then 511.org is a good guide to public transport and almost all taxi firms can now be found online. Yes, it might cost a little more and be less convenient, but it's less bother than a coffin.

Shaun Nichols: That's a bit of a cheap shot, Iain. Drinking and driving was laughed off in the past, but the US has recently got very strict about enforcing the laws, and those caught driving under the influence face harsh punishment.

That said, there are still thousands of people who needlessly lose their lives over the holiday season due to drunk driving. These sorts of tragic events can easily be avoided if holiday revellers and those around them have the sense to find another way home.

Using the web to book a cab, find a company to call, or look up public transit information can not only help friends and family stay out of trouble, it can save lives. Hopefully more people can take advantage of these services.

9. Online reference sites
Shaun Nichols: If your family is anything like mine, gatherings spawn more petty arguments than a busy night at the local pub. Politics, sports, history, music – you name it and we argue about it.

Fortunately, these days there is a plethora of sites dedicated to stockpiling the sort of useless information most families light-heartedly bicker over during the holidays. Sites such as Wikipedia, Snopes and FactCheck are all great ways to look up information and settle those arguments once and for all.

Just be careful not to get too wrapped up in looking up information. My grandmother still hasn't forgiven us for the year when the apple pie went cold because we were all looking up baseball trivia after Thanksgiving dinner.

Iain Thomson: When families and friends come together for the holidays, arguments are an essential part of letting off steam. Thankfully the internet has made these arguments a lot easier to handle.

Whether it be heated discussions over the best footballer, the fastest Grand Prix driver or simply who first came up with the idea of sliced bread, the internet is your friend.

8. Recipe sites
Iain Thomson: Holidays are traditionally the gorging season, and both Thanksgiving and Christmas are marked by orgies of gluttony that would make Calista Flockhart wake up screaming, or possibly salivating.

However, one of the fun parts of this food-fest is watching conflicts between cooks. I've seen two family members almost come to blows over the correct ingredients for stuffing a turkey and the right way to baste the breast meat. Had I been able to channel their argument by going online for suggestions, it might have been a less tense meal.

It's also worth remembering that holiday food is a new experience for a lot of people. There'll be a lot of students, for example, facing their first holiday away from home and looking to make something like mummy used to. Rather than sobbing into your TV dinner you should check out information online and see whether you can do it better than she can.

Shaun Nichols: The holidays are a great time for classic recipes and comfort foods, but they can also get a bit monotonous when you have the same boring stuff year after year.

I'm all for anything that saves me from having to eat another helping of canned yams topped with stale marshmallows. There are countless web sites out there that offer not only new and original recipes, but tasty variations on old favourites.

Granted, there is no replacement for your grandmother's stuffing or those awesome green beans mom makes with the little sliced almonds, but other dishes could definitely make use of some great online recipes. Perhaps this year you should try garlic mashed potatoes, or maybe a new approach to your casserole will save the embarrassment of having to carry home a full dish.

7. Medical/safety advice sites
Shaun Nichols: We figured that this needed to go with the online recipe sites. If you are going to try out that new trout and chive mousse recipe on your closest family members, the least you can do is also have some information on treating food poisoning handy.

Holidays are always a time for bumps, burns and other minor injuries. With so many people working in the kitchen and so many young children running around, it's almost inevitable. Being able effectively to treat a minor injury can help to ease the stress on everyone in the house.

On a more serious note, interest in alternative ways of cooking turkey, particularly the deep fry method, has been the bane of fire departments around the country in recent years. If you are going to try such a method, be sure to read up on safety measures.

Iain Thomson: I wanted this listing in here because anyone who's unfortunate enough to have tasted some holiday food can recognise the need.

Since coming to the US I've been exposed to some horrible dishes. Sweet potato and marshmallow bake is one, chocolate-covered bacon is another. There's something about the holiday season that brings out the worst in cooks.

As food production heads towards industrial scales we all need to be a lot more careful about what we put in our mouths. Getting knowledgeable about our food intake is a must to.

6. Travel information
Iain Thomson: As we've mentioned, travel is an essential part of the holiday season, so you need to be informed. This is particularly important for travellers in snowier climes. Fliers need to know about their airport arrival and departure status, since nothing dampens the holiday spirit more than sitting on uncomfortable seating surrounded by screaming children.

Traffic reports are also a godsend for motorists. There are already a lot of good sites out there for avoiding jams, but we're going to see huge improvements next year. Nokia and others are working on making smartphones into miniature traffic managers which report on conditions in real time. They won't eliminate jams, but will certainly help to avoid them.

Shaun Nichols: As the recession drags on, travel sites are becoming increasingly popular for their bargain-hunting features. For many, being able to swing a deal on a ticket is the difference between staying at home and spending the holidays with loved ones.

In addition to the 'browse and compare' services, many airlines, hotels and car rental companies now offer exclusive deals for online buyers. Booking over the web not only saves time, it can save you a few bucks too.

As Iain pointed out, web services are also useful for tracking flight status and traffic issues. There really is no way of avoiding the jams and delays of holiday travel, but having an idea of what you will be facing ahead of time can really take the edge off.

5. Gaming consoles
Shaun Nichols: Once the scourge of family gatherings worldwide, the advent of family and social games, particularly the Nintendo Wii, has made consoles the perfect way to get everyone together on the holidays.

A big part of it is accessibility. While consoles used to be exclusively marketed at one or two players, usually children or gaming enthusiasts, a growing crop of titles are designed to appeal to large groups of people and those who don't normally play.

The Wii is a particularly good example. Because the console uses motion controls and simple movements to play, rather than pressing buttons in the right order at the right time, parents and grandparents can easily pick up and genuinely enjoy playing video games.

Iain Thomson: Shaun and I debated long and hard as to whether to just put the Wii as a point here, but I hate advertising so we went for generic consoles.

That said, the Wii is a marvellous device and the best of its breed in this area. The look of glee on little CJ's face when she beat me at Mario Cart was a joy to behold (how often does a six-year old get to humiliate an adult?) and the appeal of such platforms is intergenerational.

My godmother actually asked for Wii accessories last Christmas, and I suspect a lot of Thanksgiving families will spend time bowling, boxing or playing tennis around the TV this holidays. Yes, it's hard to imagine granny getting into beating up a hooker in Grand Theft Auto, but there are plenty of family-friendly games out there. Whoever said technology was isolating missed the past few years of console gaming.

4. Laptops
Iain Thomson: The holidays may well be a time for families to join together in peace and harmony but, if you're anything like me, time alone is also a requirement. Getting away from the hordes of relatives can relieve a lot of stress and family rows.

There's also the fact that many of us don't want to be offline for the whole holiday. Many people, myself included, get a bit twitchy if we can't check our emails every few days, and there's also those last minute emails to people who can't be there with you.

Bear in mind that, if all of you are meeting at one house, there aren't going to be enough computers to go around, so packing a laptop might be a good idea, and even a 3G card to go with it just in case your host hasn't yet discovered the joys of Wi-Fi.

Shaun Nichols: I would have to add security as another reason to bring your own laptop or netbook. Some older relatives may not have a computer at all, while others may have a computer so poorly maintained and infected that you don't feel comfortable entering any sort of personal information.

Most of the items on this list require web access, and many of them make use of e-commerce components. As much as I love my friends and relatives, I would never in a million years enter my credit card or bank account information onto their home computers.

With the prevalence of key-loggers and other malware infections running rampant, and identity theft expected to soar to record levels this season, bringing your own laptop on your travels is looking like a better and better idea.

3. GPS
Shaun Nichols: Sometimes the trip to grandmother's house can be a bit like "over the river and through the woods, past the bridge, and by the underpass, and back over the river, and into the gas station, and onto the interstate ..."

While most people can find their way to an old family house with few problems, those spending Thanksgiving and other celebrations at the home of a friend, in-law or recently moved family member can have a tougher time of it.

Fortunately, in-car GPS systems are cheap and prevalent these days. If you're making a road trip or heading into an unfamiliar area, navigations systems are worth their weight in gold, particularly when the car is full of restless children.

If you're renting a car, it's almost a no-brainer to opt for a GPS system. The holidays are stressful enough without having to fret over how you're getting to where it is you're going.

Iain Thomson: I have to admit to more than a little suspicion about GPS systems. Yes, they are incredibly useful, but whatever happened to the old skill of map reading? Granted, I'm not that good at it (leading our Army unit down the wrong side of a Welsh mountain is still a shameful memory) but what happens when you lose power?

That said, GPS is a great boon to civilisation. It's said, rightly in some cases, that men would rather die than ask for directions. Now we don't have to. GPS does the job very well.

What worries me is that we are going to become too dependent on such systems. Then again, going down endless wrong turns is slightly worse.

2. Photo sharing sites
Iain Thomson: I was a bit unsure about this one, but Shaun seemed very keen and the more I think about it the more it makes sense.

If you can't be with the ones you love, then the next best thing is to send them a photo of what they are missing. It's always good to see other people and, if you can't do it in person, sharing a picture is as good as it's going to get.

There are a lot of sites to choose from, such as Flickr, but social networking web pages can also be a good place to share. I keep up with the lives of my friends in other countries via such sites, and it always brings a smile to the face to see a good chum making a complete idiot of himself while someone else captures it for posterity.

However, with that in mind, please be discreet in what you post. Employers and others are taking an increasing interest in the material people post online, and a future boss might not view that hilarious shot of you with the bottle of Jim Beam with the same fond memories as others.

Shaun Nichols: It used to be that one or two family members would take pictures of the family gatherings, drop the film off to be developed and then mail out the printed photos to everyone a few weeks later.

With the advent of digital cameras, however, the process has become much simpler. But there can be complications. Emailing large files to dozens of people can take a long time, and most of us know better than to add our family members to our Facebook or MySpace accounts.

That's where photo sharing services such as Flickr or Picasa come in. After collecting all your holiday photos, you can simply upload them from your computer, phone or camera directly to the web site. From there, you can tag and organise photos, then get a simple URL to share with everyone.

For those with older relatives who don't own a computer, there are also a number of sites which allow you to print and directly mail photos or create specialised prints, albums and calendars. Not only can you preserve the holidays for your relatives, you can knock out a bit of your gift shopping.

1. Digital video recorder
Shaun Nichols: The National Football League is planning to show three games on Thanksgiving this year. Combine this with time to cook, eat and mingle with family members, and you have a very solid case for investing in a digital video recorder (DVR).

Even if you're not a football fan, DVRs are worth the cost for Thanksgiving. Aside from sports and some cheesy holiday specials, TV on the holidays can stink out loud, and when you're done eating, washing dishes and reminiscing with the family, sometimes it's nice to wind down and watch a good movie or television programme.

Saving some quality content onto your DVR ahead of time can save you from having to spend that time watching another screening of Home Alone or the non-stop loop of A Christmas Story.

Iain Thomson: One of the great similarities between Christmas in the UK and Thanksgiving in the US is that TV companies pile on all the programmes.

I can still remember the family arguments over watching The Great Escape over the Queen's Speech at Christmas, and Thanksgiving is no different. Thankfully the invention of the video recorder stifled some of these conflicts, but the DVR is even better.

At last there's a technology that allows all those family rows to be consigned to history. We can simply record what we like and watch it at our leisure. The TV companies hate this because it disrupts their business plans, but the fact of the matter is that technology has made those business plans redundant and made life a whole lot better for the rest of us.