I paid $1 to turn my PC into a holiday HQ

Here are five Windows 11 apps in particular that I always install on my laptop each and every December, as they add some much-needed Christmas cheer to my everyday work flow.

Snow for Windows

A blast from the Christmas past

Snow for Windows is a classic desktop program from the 2000s that has now made its way to modern versions of the platform via the Microsoft Store. Available for a small one-time fee, this app introduces a snowfall effect onto your PC, complete with accumulating snow on both the taskbar and on open windows. Snow for Windows offers a number of customization options, ranging from changing the size of snowflakes and wind physics, to adding a cute polar bear and even a Santa Claus sleigh ride to your desktop in the form of occasional cameos.

Snow for Windows is great, but it's also not the only option out there. For additional ways to make snowflakes appear on your Windows 11 desktop, check out MakeUseOf's comprehensive list on the subject.

Holiday Watch

A classic countdown experience

Holiday Watch is a simple-yet-pleasant holiday countdown application for Windows 11 that informs you of how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds there are until Christmas. The app allows you to choose between Sled Red, Pine Green, and Icicle Blue backdrop colors, while also providing a dropdown menu to control the intensity of the in-app snowfall that takes place. Holiday Watch is free to download and install from the Microsoft Store, though there's an optional one-time purchase button available if you'd like to remove all advertisements and to support the developer.

Winter Holiday Glow

A Microsoft-curated holiday theme pack

Microsoft has published a massive collection of first-party theme packs onto its official Windows 11 storefront, and, naturally, this includes a holiday-themed bundle known as Winter Holiday Glow. The pack itself is well-executed, with a selection of nine festive desktop background images to choose from, which are programmed cycle on their own by default. Windows will also select a corresponding accent color to go along with each wallpaper, which adds a bit of extra personality to the mix. Winter Holiday Glow is entirely free, though the included photos are meant to be used as desktop wallpapers only as they aren't royalty-free stock images.

My Christmas Tree

The perfect blend of holiday scenery and modern design principles

My Christmas Tree is by far the most modern and slick application on this list. It provides a number of holiday-centric customization options within its settings menu, including the ability to add festive lights and an active snowfall effect to your desktop. There's also a pinnable window with a Christmas Day countdown, as well as a countdown widget that taps into Windows 11's Widget Board feature. My Christmas Tree is performant and pleasant on the eyes, taking advantage of modern Fluent Design guidelines from Microsoft. The app can be found on the Microsoft Store, costing a small one-time fee to download and install onto your PC.

Wallpaper Engine

Spruce up your desktop with lively holiday images

While not strictly a holiday-themed application, Wallpaper Engine's massive content catalog makes it an excellent choice for sourcing and configuring festive backdrops on your PC. Available through the Steam digital storefront for a small single-time fee, the app offers live wallpapers that span any and all genres, including holiday-centric scenes like snowstorms, virtual fireplaces, isolated arctic cabins, and glistening Christmas trees. Wallpaper Engine is also highly configurable with its various performance mode settings, and it maintains a dynamic and ever-expanding library of community-designed creations.