Top Windows 8 Apps for Planning a Holiday Party

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With summer behind us, I’m already thinking about Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas shopping. One of the things I love about this time of year are the seemingly endless opportunities to spend time with friends and family.  Halloween parties, Thanksgiving Dinner, and Christmas gatherings all bring people together in moments that just don’t seem to happen during the Summer months.  While I’m not the most creative or skilled party planner, I enjoy the opportunity to spend time with people, often while sharing a meal together. Given that I’m a total techie, I turned to technology to show you how to plan a holiday party.

For the last few months I’ve been testing out Intel’s latest All-In-One Device, Lenovo’s Flex 20 All-In-One PC.  If you’re a techie (raises hand!), you likely have multiple devices lying around the house.  While this is true in our family, we always gravitate towards one and use the others for very specific features and/or apps.

With AIO devices, you have the ideal combination of a tablet’s ease-of-use and portability and a PC’s expansive storage space, speed, and functionality. Families can use their AIO device throughout the home for games, cooking, learning, and entertainment.

Halloween is right around the corner and in less than 3 months Christmas will be upon us.  Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year or splurging on fancy Christmas soiree, check out my top 5 Windows 8 Apps for Planning a Holiday Party.

Party Theme Ideas:  Now that you’ve decided to host a party, you’ll need a theme. This free Windows app offers more than 100 different party theme ideas organized by category to help you glean inspiration for your next event.

My Party Planner:  Staying organized is the key to your party success.  With this free app, you’ll have the ability to plan out the logistics of your party including budget, theme, location, date/time, decorations, food, and entertainment.

Evite: Your invitation will help set the tone for your party and give your guests a great first impressions. With it’s longstanding history and ease-of-use, Evite offers thousands of invitations in a seemingly endless array of themes.  Once you’ve created and sent your invitation, manage the guest list and communicate additional details via your event page.

Party Food: Food is perhaps one of the most important components of a party so getting it right is crucial for success. With this app, you’ll be able to figure out exactly how much food to order based on the number of guests and get an estimate of what it is going to cost.  I also like the advanced options like including guests with diet preferences and adjusting the cost based on the tax rate in the city you live.

edjing: Transform your device into a pocket turntable and become your very own DJ with this app. Voted best app of the year, edjing really does it all when it comes to mixing and playing music. With unlimited access to your personal music library, you can record, play, and share your mix with friends via social channels. The app includes a wide range of DJ FX like Scratch/Pitch on Vinyl, Loop, Equalizer and more. Plus, the AutoMix mode allows for automatic transitions between the titles of your playlists.

Are you ready to plan your next party? What are your go-to apps for planning Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas gatherings?  I’d love to share your ideas below.

Looking for more fun, innovative ways to use your Intel AIO? Check out my Top 5 Windows 8 Apps for Foodies!