| Plus: Digital drug dealers, Face ID doorbell, Alexa kitchen timer trick  In partnership with Oracle NetSuite | | 🌟🎄🎅 It's Christmas Eve! I hope your holiday spirit is in full swing. When my son, Ian, was 8, he absolutely refused to go to bed on Christmas Eve. Nothing worked until we made a call to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). One of Santa's engineers got on the line and told Ian, "I see Santa approaching Phoenix in 62 minutes. I suggest you head to bed right now!" Let's just say Ian didn't argue after that. Since 1958, NORAD has been tracking Santa's sleigh every Dec. 24. It's a tradition in our home to check Santa's progress — even now. At the end of today's newsletter, I'll list ways to track the big guy. 🎶 Listen to the best Christmas show ever: My husband, Barry, is totally Father Christmas and has a blast putting together his annual radio Christmas special, Mannheim Steamroller's "An American Christmas." Whether you're driving around or hanging out at home, you can hear this awesome show on over 200 stations across the USA! Hit this link to find it on a station near you. You'll love it! — Kim 📬 Was this email forwarded? Sign up here for free | TODAY'S TOP STORY Quick, easy ways to get holly-jolly  Christmas Eve is here. It's a time for joy, laughter and cherished moments with loved ones. I know how busy this day can get, but a little bit of tech-savvy can help make it even more special. Here are five quick and simple ways to use technology to connect with family and create memories without taking up too much time. 1. Share a quick video call Even if you're rushing between cooking, wrapping and organizing, a video call makes you feel close to distant loved ones. Apps like FaceTime, Google Meet or Zoom make it easy. I text in advance to agree on a time since folks are running around today. - Pro tip: Set a timer for 10 minutes to say hello, show off your tree or share a quick holiday toast.
2. Snap and share holiday photos Capture candid moments of your Christmas Eve fun and share them with family using Google Photos, Apple's Shared Albums or even a private Facebook group. - Pro tip: Use apps like Canva to create quick, festive photo collages. It's fun and you'll be happy to look back on them later.
- Facebook tip: Create a private group to upload and comment on photos throughout the night. It's a fun way to be "together" from afar.
3. Send a digital holiday card If you haven't sent cards this year, it's not too late! Hit up Canva (free), Adobe Express (30-day trial) or Paperless Post (about 25 cents per card). Choose a template, whip up a greeting and send it in just a few minutes — no printing or trip to the post office required. - Why it works: A quick note of love and holiday cheer can mean the world to someone who may not expect it.
4. Watch a movie together from anywhere Cuddle up with family and watch a holiday classic, even if you're apart. Teleparty works in your web browser to sync up the video and adds a group chat to Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max and Amazon Prime. A free account gets the job done! - Best picks: Go with crowd-pleasers like "Home Alone," "Elf" or "The Polar Express."
5. Record a simple holiday message Take a moment to record a short video message for friends and fam who can't join in person. It only takes a minute, and it'll mean a lot. Open your phone's Camera app, switch to Video mode and press record. Now, send your video via text or email, or upload it to a private Facebook group to share with the whole crew. - Pro tip: Gather the entire family for a group message to make it extra special.
- Tell a joke: What do you call a Christmas wreath made out of $100 bills? Aretha Franklins!
From my home to yours Christmas Eve is about cherishing the moments, no matter how small. For me, that means making chicken pot pie for nine adults and 10 children, a tradition I look forward to every year. Here's my recipe. After dinner, we'll settle in and watch "The Polar Express." Then, once my guests all leave, I'll clean the kitchen while watching the pope's Mass from the Vatican, a beautiful way to close out the evening and reflect on the real reason for the season: The birth of our Lord. 💝 No matter how you're celebrating, I hope you find a little extra joy tonight. Merry Christmas to you and yours! | DAILY TECH UPDATE Chinese hackers hit US telecoms: What you need to know A cyberattack exposed data, and it's still unfolding. The government says to use encrypted messaging, but what does that mean? Tap or click below to play this podcast now. Use this link to listen on Komando.com → | DEALS OF THE DAY 'Tis the season This is the time of year I like to pull out all our coziest blankets. Then, I noticed a couple were getting ratty, so I went shopping … | WEB WATERCOOLER Drug dealers going digital: Instead of lurking on street corners, they're sliding into DMs and posting ads on Facebook. They'd get flagged for using the real words, so one workaround is communicating with emojis (e.g., snowflakes for cocaine and love hearts for psychedelics). About one in 10 young people has bought drugs over social media. Talk to your kids. Unlocking the future: By this time next year, Apple could be selling a video doorbell that uses Face ID to unlock your door for you. Sounds sweet … and a little scary unless it's super locked down. Think Amazon (owner of Ring) and Google (Nest) are nervous? Me, too. Putting the "AI" in "encyclopedia": Britannica isn't a dusty bookmaker killed by Wikipedia. The billion-dollar company now creates AI-powered customer service tools and websites that get 7 billion views a year. They're also developing AI-driven educational software. Other companies, take note: This is how you adapt. 🤖 It's alive: OpenAI's new o3 model can "think," aka reason and check facts on its own. That's a giant step toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), where bots can do tasks they were never specifically trained for. Rest easy, o3 is a total ace at math and science, but it's not quite ready to take over the world. Saving little lives: Mercedes' new CLA coupe is equipped with Child Presence Detection, or CPD. The tech is sensitive enough to pick up even a newborn's breathing when the car is turned off. If the car senses a little one, its cameras will check for an adult. If no one's there, it sends an alert, kicks on the AC and honks the horn. About 37 kids a year die in hot cars. They need money: X jacked up the price for a Premium+ subscription, which turns off ads and gives profiles a blue checkmark. Instead of $16 a month, it's now $22 monthly. The basic subscription that lets you edit posts and type as much as you want is $3. Still not worth it. Is Netflix going to tick off millions of people again? The streaming giant is going live with two NFL games tomorrow: The Chiefs versus the Steelers and the Ravens versus the Texans. After the Tyson-Paul fight fiasco, they must've learned their lesson, right? Internet providers like Comcast are stepping in with extra capacity, and Netflix says they're ready (paywall link). They passed on third-party backups, so we'll see. | DIGITAL LIFE HACK Don't fall for 'get-paid-to-play' scams Those texts offering easy money for simple tasks? They're scams costing victims over $220 million this year. Don't fall for them. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. Use this link to listen on Komando.com → | TECH LIFE UPGRADES 🪵 No fireplace? No problem: Put this crackling Yule log video on the TV so everyone focuses on quality time together. There's no music, so you can pick your favorite! Save your butt: Maybe you ignored this yesterday, but I've got your back. Grab an Amazon gift card and print out the details or email it to them. Here's a trick to make a gift card feel special: Put it in a little box, then put that inside a bigger box. Put that one in another box. Now wrap it all up, and they'll have a fun surprise opening it. 🍗 Kitchen helper: Smart speakers like the Amazon Echo can juggle multiple timers at once. If you give them a name, you'll know what's ready to come out of the oven. Say something like, "Alexa, set a 20-minute timer for the potatoes" or "Set a 45-minute timer for the chicken." Lock it up: Having people over? Lock your computer. You never know who will get curious. For Windows, hit the Windows key + L. On a Mac, use Ctrl + Cmd + Q. Oh, crap, you have to run to the mall: There's no time to wander around, looking for your car, when you're done fighting the crowds. On Google Maps, tap the blue dot (your location), then choose Save your parking. Have an iPhone? Say, "Siri, remember where I parked my car," and you'll get a pin on the map. ✅ Unlock perfect hearing: If you're tired of missing out on conversations, you need to check out the new, nearly invisible hearing aids everyone is raving about. With dual processors for crystal-clear sound, these are changing lives. See if you qualify for a risk-free trial and start hearing every word.* You deserve it. | BY THE NUMBERS 3.8 million miles From the sun's surface. That's how close NASA's tiny Parker Solar Probe will get. It sounds far, but temps are still 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit at that distance. It'll zoom in at 430,000 miles per hour, breaking its own record as the fastest human-made object in history. No. 1 on the U.K. charts "Last Christmas," for the second year in a row. Wham!'s iconic classic is racking up about 7.7 million streams a day on Spotify. That's almost 90 plays per second. No kidding, it barely missed the No. 1 spot 40 years ago. It's holding down the No. 4 spot now in the U.S. 3 times more Time millennial dads spend with their kids compared to dads in previous generations. Get this: In 1982, 43% of dads said they've never changed a diaper! Now, it's only 3%. If you know a good dad, give him a high-five for me! | WHAT THE TECH?  Santa, here's to hoping you keep it all encrypted. | UNTIL NEXT TIME ... 🎅 Pass this list of ways to track Santa to anyone in your circle with kiddos at home. They'll owe you big time. - On Dec. 24, dial 1‑877‑HI‑NORAD. Someone will answer and tell your family where Santa is located.
- Hit the website noradsanta.org now for fun games, a countdown, 3D tracking maps and Santa Cam videos.
- Have an Echo? Say, "Alexa, ask NORAD Tracks Santa where Santa is." Easy!
A lot of people don't know about Rudolph's wife, Olive. But she's mentioned in the song: "Olive, the other reindeer." (Oh, come on!) 🛑 Stop letting Big Tech decide what you see: StartMail is my pick for privacy-first email. It's super easy to switch over your contacts and mail, or you can treat it as a fresh inbox for only your VIPs. Save 60% now with my special link.* Thank you for being here, friend. Time to blast some Christmas tunes and enjoy a glass of wine in my decked halls. See you tomorrow! — Kim | Help us spread the word! SHARE → Or copy and share your personalized link: https://referrer.komando.com/69cb7d0c/3 | How'd we do? What did you think of today's issue? | | |
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