The Christmas Gift List

This app has been a huge help to me this Christmas as I think of ideas for my friends and family and can list those as ideas and then mark when they are purchased and wrapped, etc. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is I wish it would allow you to organize the gifts which ever way you wanted. Right now, the gifts under each person‘s name is listed in the order that you thought of the gifts and entered them in. I would like to organize all the ones that I still need to buy grouped together on the list, ones that have already been purchased grouped together on the list, ones that have been wrapped grouped together on the list, etc. That way I could organize it and use it like a To Do List. Right now, all the gifts are in random order regardless of whether they need to be purchased, already been purchased or wrapped, etc. I would even pay a little more for an upgrade that would allow me to organize it as I wished. But still, it’s been a huge help and as soon as someone mentioned something they wished they had I list it in this app and months later can refer back to it, when otherwise I would have completely forgotten their wish list item!

I usually use a spreadsheet to track Christmas gift shopping but even to me that seems a little obsessive. This app is simple; I can customize it enough to suit my control issues and yet I don't have to do much to make it work for me. I like that you can add pictures to the gift ideas - it's much easier to keep things clear in my mind with pictures to look at instead of having to absorb the words. Yeah, even to me that sounds lame but it works. The app has some glitches but usually nothing that can't be fixed by closing and re-opening it. I did finally figure out how to remove a recipient from a multiple-person gift; at first that was going to irritate me but I did eventually figure it out. If I remembered how I did it I'd post that here. Bottom line is, it's simple, it works, and I can carry it with me. It's making this year's shopping much better and the budget/spending pie chart graphic truly helps keep me in line with my wallet.

This application is a simple yet effective way to shop for friends and family during the holidays. The design is festive with a red gift wrapping background but the interface is clear with space so there is no clutter of information apps like these sometimes have. Adding people to your shopping lists is easy with the ability to import your contacts. Contacts can be grouped by friends, family and others. For each contact you can fill in the gift you want to get, and your gift budget. The budget and analysis page displays circle graphs with your shopping information such as how many people to shop for, the money spent, presents that have been wrapped, total budget and more. There is also a countdown to Christmas located up top of this page so you know exactly how much time is left for shopping. You can also search for information in the app easy with the numerous amount of filters available. This can come in handy for people with large lists. This free version includes just about everything you would need. The only thing missing that is helpful is iCloud sync between devices but few will need that.