Whether you’re excited for Santa to arrive or looking forward to having some time off, here are three enchanting apps to help you pass the time and build up a sense of magic for the coming holidays.

Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar

iPad – London or Village

$1.99

The creator of the web’s most-popular, animated e-cards is now making magic for the iPad. Jacquie Lawson and her team of artists are well-known for bringing picturesque scenes to life and crafting visual stories out of clickable greeting cards. With her new Advent Calendars you get 25 stories instead of just one. Starting on December 1st and counting down to Santa’s arrival you’ll find whimsical adventures involving animals, warm tales of family get-togethers, and both interactive puzzles and activities. You can preview her work at her website where she also offers Advent Calendars for personal computers too.

There are two versions to choose from, Village and London, with both offering a similar, seasonal theme and thanks to the iTunes Store’s built-in gifting program, you can send them off as holiday gifts with a personal message.

NFB Advent Calendar 2012

iPad

$0.99

Now into its second year, the NFB Advent Calendar will unlock a surprise family movie on December 1st and do so again for each new day until Santa arrives. The films come from the National Film Board of Canada, known for The Cat Came Back and other animated classics, and are suitable for ages nine and older. The calendar was very well received last year and with the NFB being among Canada’s best app creators, you can bet that the surprises waiting behind each touchscreen window will be worth the wait.

Stamps Alive

iPhone/iPad/Android

Free

Yes you can send out traditional cards and packaged gifts, but still add a bit of mobile magic too. Canada Post has released a special series of AR (Augmented Reality) stamp booklets. When someone receives a package from you that has one of these stamps on it, they can use their smartphone and the Stamps Alive app to interact with it.

When they point their phone’s camera at the stamp, it comes alive and triggers a fun activity. You can help decorate Gingerbread cookies, or guide a turtle through a maze. From the Calgary Stampede there’s barrel racing and a horse to take care of too. While there are plenty of Augmented Reality apps out there, few offer an actual activity connected to it. So nice job, Canada Post.

You can try out the app for free by printing off the stamps from the Canada Post website here.