5 ways I'm handling the holidays with Gemini

There’s something about the holidays that turns me into a do-er — I always volunteer to make more meals and host more get-togethers than I might necessarily have the time to cook or plan. This year is no different, except that I’m using Gemini to cut down on a lot of the time-consuming tasks, so I can enjoy more of the creative, fun parts of holiday prep and planning.

Here are five ways I’m using Gemini to check items off my various holiday to-do lists:

1. Brainstorming gift ideas

This year, I plan on getting everyone something they actually want or need — no photo frames or candles here! (Unless they want those, of course.) Gemini is a great brainstorming buddy, so I’m using it to come up with original gift ideas for friends and family. Beyond just asking something like, “What are good gift ideas?,” I can be specific and tell Gemini things that the recipient in question likes to do, how old they are and how well we know each other. And, of course, I can include other parameters like budget and timing.

2. Organizing schedules, budgets, gifts and more

The holidays are busy, so it’s extremely possible I might lose track of what’s on my calendar — and maybe even what’s on my shopping list. But I plan on using Gemini’s Google Sheets extension to create templates for things like my schedule, and also for creating a tracking sheet entirely for gifts. I’ll ask Gemini to include tracking for gifts I bought, people I bought them for, how much I spent and more. This way I know not only who’s left to find a gift for but I can also easily see if I’m staying on budget.

3. Asking all the cooking questions

I use Gemini as a “kitchen aid” all year, but I spend extra time cooking and baking over the holidays. Instead of frantically texting my mom the night before Thanksgiving for turkey defrosting tips or spending time searching for what cookies I can make with what’s in my pantry and fridge, I can ask Gemini. And I can get super detailed with my requests, too, like by telling it how many people I need to feed (a lot!) and how long I have to prepare (a little!). I also ask for substitution ideas if I can’t make it to the store (butter combined with milk is a good swap for heavy cream, in case you were wondering). Oh, and best yet is that I can do all of this hands-free by using Gemini Live (now also available for iPhone); that way if (when) I’m covered in flour I can still ask for quick conversions or tips on whether or not to add a pinch of salt.

4. Party-planning with a custom Gem

To help with the get-togethers I’m hosting this year, I made a holiday event-planning Gem. Gems are customized versions of Gemini available to Gemini Advanced subscribers that you can give rules to so that they’re fine-tuned for specific uses and so you don’t have to repeatedly set them up with the same information. For example, my Gem knows when my parties are, where I live, about how many people are coming and on and on. So I can open it and, without giving it any extra info, say something like, “How many napkins do you think I’ll need for Thanksgiving?” or, “Can you come up with some fun new rules for a White Elephant party?” (And right now, if you buy a Pixel 9 Pro, you can try Gemini Advanced for a year on us, and you can get three months free with a new pair of Pixel Buds Pro 2!)

5. Writing invites and letters

By the time I sit down to write a note or invite, I probably won’t be able to come up with anything beyond “happy holidays!” Gemini will definitely be helping me with this seasonal writer’s block: Instead of a basic invite, I’ll ask Gemini to come up with a poem for my White Elephant party invites — and I plan on using it to help me write a pun-filled letter to go along with my holiday cards. You can even ask Gemini to help you pen letters to Santa — or from him (don’t worry, Gemini can keep a secret!🧑‍🎄😉).