Christmas is round the corner and many websites are dazzling with beautiful themes and colors! So why should you be left behind? Ensure that your WordPress website reflects the same holiday cheer that everyone around you is feeling.
There are several benefits of changing your website design subtly in preparation of special events. Not only does this make you come across as proactive, it also helps your visitors connect with you a bit more. Making your website a bit more “Christmas-y” is not a difficult task if you are using WordPress to host it. The popular CMS is well known for the ease with which it allows its users to add new features and services.
WordPress uses plugins to greatly enhance functionalities and is designed to make it all so simple for the user. You need not worry if you don’t know the nuances of programming as you don’t need to write even a single line of code to make these changes to the website. A simple plugin will add the feature that you choose, and it can just as easily be removed once the holiday season gets over.
You need not try out an endless list of plugins before you find one that you like. We have brought together some of the most common holiday modifications that will make your visitors smile a little as they check out your website. Try out the following plugins, and welcome your visitors to a “Holiday Special” flavor of your website.
1. Make it Snow
Let’s be honest. Christmas and snow are inseparable. The very image that Christmas conjures up in the minds of people is that of waking up to a town covered in snow. Even the people who do not live in areas that get snow, understand just how deep the connection between snow and Christmas really goes.
Remember the old comic strips like Calvin & Hobbes, and Garfield, and how Christmas are always marked with snow? Make sure that your website reminds your visitors of those happy and carefree days. Use a plugin like Simply Snow, or WP Super Snow, and you can set a slight snowfall to drizzle across your website.
The best thing about Simply Snow is that it is a simple tool and simply works. There are no frills, and the lightweight plugin starts working as soon as you activate it. However, if you want to customize the snowing effect, WP Super Snow is more suited to your needs, and will let you tweak away endlessly.
You can also try Improved Let It Snow to get a balance between simplicity and the ability to customize.
Get Simply Snow here: http://wordpress.org/plugins/simply-snow/
Get WP Super Snow here: http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-super-snow/
Get Improved Let It Snow: https://wordpress.org/plugins/improved-let-it-snow/
2. Light up your Website
Christmas decorations are the second most exciting thing about Christmas, beaten only by the rush of opening your gifts on Christmas morning. Many people have vivid memories of visiting their closest park or supermarket, and seeing the amazing lighting that people had set up for the holidays. Endless strings of lights, glowing in every color imaginable, and dispelling darkness away from the city.
Remind your visitors of the holiday spirit with a few Christmas lights on your website. A string of lights that merrily blink on the top of your websites and all of your posts are a quick distraction, and will remind your readers of the cheerful occasion. Install Xmas Lights and your website will automatically start showing these lights to the visitors.
Get Xmas Lights here: http://wordpress.org/plugins/xmas-lights/
3. Make it Special
Even the slightest hint of Christmas on your website can set the right mood. You can mark the occasion with a string of special posts that talk about your favorite time of the year, or you can go about it a bit more subtly (and in a slightly lazier fashion) and set up a countdown timer that will take up a small space in the corner and remind your users of the impending Christmas celebrations.
You can install Christmas Countdown Clock and easily set the timer on your website. If you want to take the “work hard” approach, Advent Calendar is the way to go, and will let you schedule posts in advance, so that your website has fresh content even when you are away celebrating with your loved ones. In fact, this tool can be used whenever you want, and will also come in handy when Valentine Day comes along in a couple of months, and you need to share posts about love and romance.
4. Make Something of your Own
There is no dearth of creative people, and if you are someone who knows how to tinker around with website designs, then you can easily give your WordPress website a unique feel for the season. A little custom CSS will ensure that you can offer your visitors something completely unexpected, and thus something that they will remember for a long time. You need to meddle with the coding of the website itself, and can use a simple plugin for your convenience. WP Schedule Styles let you set up CSS style sheets on your website, and then simply forget about them. The Plugin activates these style sheets on the time you specify, and then disable them automatically. You will not have to worry about waking up early on the day after Christmas to switch off your customizations, as the tool will do it for you.
Get WP Schedule Styles here: http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-scheduled-styles/
If you want a special theme for Christmas, but cannot create your own design, then you can always switch your blog to one of the many free Christmas WordPress themes. Automate this process using WP Schedule Themes, and automatically revert to your original theme when the holiday is over.
Get WP Schedule Themes here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-scheduled-themes/
A Word of Caution – Flashy themes, CSS style sheets and plugins will all make your website slower. So don’t go overboard with plugins and make sure that your website is still simple to use, and fast to load!
So, gear up fast, hire a web development company who can guide you and get these attractive festive plugins to make your websites shine during the Christmas season.
