Best iOS Apps for Planning Your Holiday Gatherings
AI-generated, human-reviewed.
When it comes to organizing holiday gatherings—from Thanksgiving dinners to Secret Santa exchanges—the right iOS apps can make all the difference. On iOS Today, Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard shared their must-have event planning apps and tips for anyone prepping a festive get-together this season.
This episode focuses on practical iOS solutions for holiday event planning, including apps for managing guest lists, coordinating meals, and organizing gift exchanges. The hosts spotlight Apple Invites, Partiful, and Elfster as go-to choices, making holiday prep less stressful and more collaborative.
Essential Event Planning Apps for Holidays
Apple Invites App
The new Apple Invites app lets you create personalized event invites with custom backgrounds and emojis. Beyond basic invitations, it enables you to:
- Set event details and sync times across calendars
- Collect RSVP responses (Going, Not Going, Maybe)
- Create shared photo albums for all attendees
- Build group playlists everyone can contribute to
Mikah Sargent found its integrated features—album sharing, link attachments (for registries), and group playlists—ideal for making gatherings interactive and memorable. If your invitees already use iOS and you want everything managed in one place, this is the top pick.
Partiful
Partiful caters to a broader user base and feels more dynamic, especially popular among younger crowds (“more Gen Z,” as described on the show). Partiful’s strengths include:
- Flexible invite creation with animated backgrounds
- Date polls for easier event scheduling
- Expense-sharing for group events (Venmo integration)
- Extensive customization (custom emojis, dress codes, polls)
- SMS invites to reach guests not on iOS
According to Mikah Sargent, Partiful is best when your group spans both iPhone and Android, or isn’t fully onboard with Apple’s new event ecosystem.
Organizing Gift Exchanges
For those busy with holiday presents and Secret Santas, Elfster came highly recommended:
- Handles random Secret Santa assignments (with custom restrictions, e.g. couples can’t draw each other)
- Lets everyone set budgets and wishlist items
- Enables anonymous questions to recipients about preferences
- Built-in group chat to streamline planning
Rosemary Orchard uses Elfster for annual work and family gift exchanges, emphasizing its ability to add fun and creativity (like sending decoy questions or swapping wrapping styles).
Collaborative Holiday Meal Planning
For meal prep, two apps stand out:
- Paprika: Excellent for storing, organizing, and importing recipes across devices.
- Crouton: Feature-rich with hands-free navigation for recipes, designed to support cooks step-by-step.
Both make it easy to cut through lengthy online recipes and focus on what matters: prepping a great holiday meal.
How to Apply This
- Choose your invite platform: For Apple-only groups, use Apple Invites. For mixed device or more feature-rich options, try Partiful.
- Plan your gift exchange with Elfster: Set up your Secret Santa, input rules, and let Elfster do the heavy lifting—including wishlist tracking.
- Organize meal planning with Paprika or Crouton: Save and organize recipes, create shopping lists, and adjust for hands-free cooking.
- Share tasks: Use Reminders or collaborative apps to assign shopping, prep, and setup to different guests.
- Reduce stress: Remember the purpose is connection, not perfection. Always have backup food and enjoy the process.
From the Top Floor
- Apple Invites and Partiful streamline and personalize event invites—choose the best based on your group’s tech habits.
- Elfster is the easiest way to handle digital gift exchanges, especially for larger or remote groups.
- Use recipe management apps to avoid common kitchen mishaps and keep holiday cooking efficient.
- Reminders and OmniOutliner (as mentioned) help organize gift lists, meal timelines, and task assignments.
No matter what holiday you’re planning, from Thanksgiving to Christmas or Secret Santa, using the right iOS apps can simplify every step. Whether you prefer native Apple solutions or versatile third-party apps, you’ll find a tool to match your group and workflow.
Ready to make holiday planning stress-free? Start with Apple Invites, Partiful, or Elfster!
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