The holidays are meant for connection—real, face-to-face connection with the people we love. Yet somehow, we often find ourselves scrolling through social media between courses at dinner or checking notifications while unwrapping gifts. This year, let's change that.
Here's your practical guide to unplugging from the digital world and rediscovering what the season is really about.
Start With Your Phone's Built-In Tools
Before you delete anything or buy special gadgets, use what you already have. Both iPhone and Android devices come with Focus modes that silence notifications when you need uninterrupted time. Customize these to block specific apps during family gatherings or meals.
Take it further with screen time limits. If you're losing hours to Instagram or TikTok, set a daily cap. Even something as simple as 20 minutes can make a dramatic difference in how present you feel.
Want to make your phone less tempting? Try the grayscale trick. A colorless screen is surprisingly effective at reducing its appeal. On iPhone, adjust the color filters in accessibility settings. Android users can activate Bedtime Mode for the same effect.
The Nuclear Option: Delete Your Apps
Sometimes gentle nudges aren't enough. If you find yourself compulsively opening the same apps despite your best intentions, delete them. Yes, really.
The beauty of this approach is that it's temporary. You can always reinstall apps after the holidays. But in the moment when you reach for your phone out of habit and find those apps missing, you'll be forced to pause and reconsider what you actually need.
Embrace the Outdoors
Winter makes it easy to justify staying inside, wrapped in blankets, glued to screens. Resist that urge. Bundle up and get outside, away from Wi-Fi signals and the pull of your devices.
If you're lucky enough to have snow, make the most of it. Have a snowball fight. Go sledding. Build a snowman with your kids or nieces and nephews. Wear thick mittens that won't work on touchscreens—it's a built-in excuse to leave your phone in your pocket.
No snow? Take a walk through a park or along tree-lined streets. The Japanese have a term for this: forest bathing. Research shows that time in nature, away from screens, benefits both mental and physical health in measurable ways.
Rediscover Analog Activities
Remember handwriting? It's not just nostalgia—research suggests that putting pen to paper offers cognitive benefits that typing can't match. Students who take handwritten notes learn and retain information better than those who type.
This holiday season, write actual Christmas cards. Compose a thoughtful letter to a friend you haven't seen in years. Pen thank-you notes for gifts received. Your recipients will treasure these far more than a quick text or email.
Pick up a book while you're at it. Not an ebook—a real book with pages you can turn. Long-form reading develops focus, builds empathy, and offers a depth of understanding that scrolling through posts never will. With year-end book lists appearing everywhere, you'll have no trouble finding something compelling.
Tools for the Truly Committed
Need more accountability? Consider a time-lock vault for your devices. These containers seal your phone away for whatever duration you choose—15 minutes, a few hours, or even weeks. They typically cost around $30 and force a real break from constant connectivity.
For a longer-term solution, there's the "brick phone" option. These feature phones can only make calls and send texts—no apps, no internet, no distractions. Modern versions from companies like Nokia offer that retro vibe with numeric keypads and simple games like Snake. There are also "digital minimalist" phones that provide a more contemporary design while still limiting functionality.
The Real Goal
None of these strategies is about demonizing technology. Phones and apps serve important purposes in our lives. But the holidays offer a unique opportunity to reset our relationship with our devices and remember what it feels like to be fully present.
When you sit down for that festive meal, put your phone in another room. When you're exchanging gifts, resist the urge to photograph every moment for social media. When you're having a conversation, give the person in front of you your undivided attention.
The digital world will still be there when you return. But these moments with the people you love? They're happening right now, and they deserve your full presence.
This holiday season, give yourself and your loved ones the gift of your attention. Unplug, unwind, and reconnect with what truly matters.