Holidays Made Brighter with #MoreLumia

Hosting holiday parties can be a lot of work, but the Lumia 1520 smartphone can help things move along a little smoother. From checking the weather forecasts to keeping in touch family, with the Lumia, you can have it all at the tips of your fingers.  I recently hosted a fun family gathering and Lumia helped make it a day to remember.With tons of music, recipe, and photo apps, the Lumia 1520 smartphone is the complete package for holiday hosting.  Before anyone even arrived, I used the Evernote feature to keep track of my to-do list and help me stay organized. You can type in notes and set reminders so you don't forgot all those important little details.

I always say I'm going to plan ahead, but with four kids and a million responsibilities, I often find myself scampering to get things done at the last minute. This week when I had my holiday party, I had the decor, but nothing else was planned. Thanks to my Lumia 1520, that wasn't an issue. You won't even need to use a keyboard. Just ask Cortana, your personal digital assistant, and she will steer you in the right direction every time. Cortana can help with your party prep by reminding you to pick up dinner ingredients when you’re near the store, track flights to let you know when family has arrived to town, and so much more more.   I started early that morning by searching for some recipes.

Because I have Wifi  on my Lumia 1520, I was able to get right online without having to load up my laptop. Within seconds, I found hundreds of simple recipes while I was waiting in line to drop my daughter off at school. Then I just ran over to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients without any hassle.  You can search Big Oven for over 300,000 recipes right on your windows phone.

Next I needed to find something to keep the kids busy so the adults could actually get some quiet time. With a little help from Cortana, I found tons of holiday themed party games that I could make with every day items I already had lying around the house.  Just tell her what you're looking for and she brings up a list of options.

The Lumia 1520 makes setting the mood easy. Holiday tunes are plentiful on MixRadio. This steaming service is free and gives you personalized music with no advertising. The MD-12 wireless portable speaker makes it easy to listen to your favorite holiday tunes any time and any place without the hassle of wires. As an added bonus, you can set up the fireplace app to add a little ambiance to any party.

Once your party has ended, Cortana and your Lumia 1520 can still help make it a day to remember. The Movie Creator Beta is a video app that optimizes your editing experience right from your windows smartphone.  You can also edit your favorite holiday pictures using the Afterlight app. This easy to use editing tool will give you the look you want in seconds.

As you can see, the Lumia 1520 Smartphone has everything you need to make your holiday preparations a breeze, but it also makes a great holiday gift.  My teen daughter is already trying to steal mine every chance she gets, so I'm thinking I'll have to grab another one.  Visit the Microsoft website to learn more and to check out all the available models.