Technology and Christmas have been going hand in hand for the past several decades now. I think our family turned the corner into a "high-tech" Christmas back when I was a boy. It was when we got our first video game console. No, it wasn't a Pong or an Atari. I actually don't recall what brand it was. I think it was one of the off-brand knock-offs that took over discount stores like K-Mart and Gibson's Discount Center when the very first home consoles were introduced.

I do remember we spent many an hour watching lighted rectangles bounce a lighted blip across a tv screen that looked like a soccer field. It was great fun. But, compared to today's technology I am sure most youngsters would just as soon get a rock and some sticks to play with. Here you go, knock yourself out watching all this action.

Probably one of the better innovations in home entertainment and eavesdropping has been the evolution of the smart speaker. These devices allow you to use voice commands to get things like adding items to a grocery list or playing your favorite song done. At our house, we have several of what I call the "Alexa" devices. 

Amazon
Amazon
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I guess they are technically called Amazon Echo devices and this year they are offering a little extra holiday cheer to users. In fact, if you know the magic words, you can even use your Alexa device to track Santa on his flight into town from the North Pole.

Kraken Images via Unsplash.com
Kraken Images via Unsplash.com
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Here's all you have to do. Say "Alexa, enable "Hey Santa". Then the rest is truly up to your holiday spirit as fueled by your imagination. You can invite the Jolly Old Elf to join you in a holiday song. Or, you can even ask Santa to tell you his favorite jokes.

According to an article on the website Tyla.com, you can also ask your Alexa to perform several other holiday-related "chores". For example, you can ask about news from the North Pole or get Santa to tell you a story. You can even ask the Old Boy for some Santa-centric advice.

Santa Claus
Ivan Bliznetsov, ThinkStock
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Now, you can also ask Santa, through Alexa of course for other help during the holidays. Remember Santa has some great stress relieving wine-infused recipes and you can even request tips on how to make your gingerbread man delightful to look at and delicious to eat. Or where to find these Oreos.

Nabisco
Nabisco
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If you feel the need to boost your confidence you can even ask Alexa to ask Santa if you've made the nice list this year. It's all in good fun and just one more way a little high-tech engagement can add to the magic of your holiday season.

If you're a visual learner, you can follow this video.

But while the techno fun is nice, don't forget it's the actual people that make the holiday season so special, so don't forget to ask them some of the same questions you might want to ask Alexa. I bet there's more than one mom or grandma who can whip out a wine-infused recipe too.

evgenyatamanenko/ThinkStock
evgenyatamanenko/ThinkStock
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So, if you're in the mood to bring Christmas into this century it's good to know that you can, or if you like the old fashioned Christmas, that's still available too. All you have to do is unplug or take the batteries out. Oh, and since we're going down memory lane, how many of these do you remember?

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