In the weeks before
A tree they fill with messages
Make a Christmas tree on Deco My Tree and send them the link. They hang gifts with messages on it, and nothing opens until Christmas Day. Make yours, and ask them to make one too.
The same countdown on both phones
The Christmas countdown widget ticks to the second on your home screen (Android, with the app’s next update).
An advent calendar of notes
Write 24 short notes and send one every morning in December.
Decorate on a video call
Put up your trees at the same time and show each other every ornament.
Matching ornaments
Buy two of the same ornament and hang one on each tree.
One playlist for two
Fill a Christmas playlist together and play it while you wrap the gifts.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Open gifts on camera
Post the gifts early and open them together on a video call.
Read their messages first thing
The messages on your tree open on December 25: read them in bed before anyone else is up.
Watch a Christmas movie in sync
Press play at the same moment, or use a watch-together app.
Cook the same dinner
Pick one recipe and cook it side by side on a call.
A voice note for the morning
A recording they can play when they wake up feels closer than a text.
After Christmas
Ring in the New Year twice
In different time zones? Call at both midnights.
Keep the tree going
Friends can keep hanging New Year wishes on the tree after Christmas, and you can read those right away.
Plan the next visit
Put a date on the calendar, and a new countdown on your phones with Valentine’s trees.
Write next year’s letter
Write each other a letter to open next Christmas.
More ideas: the best apps for long-distance couples.
Questions
How do you celebrate Christmas in a long-distance relationship?
Plan a few things you do at the same time, like decorating on a call, opening gifts on camera and watching the same movie, and add a surprise that waits for the day: messages on a Christmas tree that only open on December 25.
What can I send my long-distance partner for Christmas?
A small parcel posted early, a handwritten letter, or something digital that still feels like unwrapping: a tree they open on Christmas morning, full of messages.
Can their friends add messages too?
Yes. Anyone with the link can hang a gift with a message from a browser, and only the tree’s owner reads them.
Is it free?
It’s freemium: making a tree, sharing it and sending messages are free; removing ads, putting your tree on the world map and other extras are paid.