Christmas is coming! It’s time to wrap up warm, put up your tree, and await the arrival of Santa Claus. To help get you into the festive spirit, we’ve rounded up a whole host of ways that you can customize your Windows 10 computer for the holidays.
Your options include snow falling down your desktop, a snow globe that counts until the big day, how to apply Christmas sound effects, and much more. Let’s get your Windows 10 system in the holiday spirit.
1. Change Your Wallpaper
One of the easiest ways to get some festive cheer on your desktop is by changing your wallpaper. To do this:
- Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Navigate to Personalization > Background.
- Use the Background dropdown and select Picture. Alternatively, select Slideshow on the dropdown if you want to rotate between a selection.
- Click Browse to locate the wallpaper on your computer.
If you’re after some Christmas wallpapers, check out websites like Wallpaper Stock, HD Wallpapers, and Alpha Coders. Once you’ve found the perfect image, right-click it and save it to your system.
2. Make Your Screen Snow
Depending on where you are in the world, snow at Christmas might be impossible or a rarity. It’s not quite the same, but you can make your desktop snow as a consolation. A small executable called Desktop Christmas will sort you out.
Download the ZIP, extract it, and open the program inside. Your screen will automatically fill with the magic of falling snow. A snowflake icon will appear in your taskbar tray, which you can right-click to alter the program’s settings.
You can adjust the Speed of snowflakes, choose to Start when I start Windows, and go to Options > Transparent to change the transparency of the snow. If you only want the snow to appear on your desktop, rather than over every window, go to Options and uncheck Always on top.
3. Theme With Christmas Colors
Another simple tweak is to change the color scheme of your system. To get started, press Windows key + I to open Settings and go to Personalization > Colors.
It’s the season, so beneath Windows colors you might want to pick a nice red or green. You can click Custom color if none of those options suit. Once done, check Start, taskbar, and action center, and Title bars and window borders to have the color applied to those places.
A lot of the excitement for Christmas lies in the build-up, counting down the days until the actual event. You definitely shouldn’t skip on a chocolate advent calendar, but why not have a countdown clock on your computer too?
Get Xmas offers different desktop snow globes that will display the number of days left until the 25th. These include Live Christmas Globe, Snowman Snow Globe, and Christmas Globe. Have a browse and see which design you like best.
Once you’ve decided, download the ZIP, extract it, and launch the program. It’ll sync to your system clock and you can right-click the snow globe to adjust its settings, like whether it launches automatically and if it should always remain on top of other windows.
5. Make Your Cursor Snow
You can make your cursor sprinkle snow from its trail every time you move it. You’ll need a utility called Cursor Snowflakes to do so. Head to the page, download the ZIP, and extract it.
Open the EXE within and your cursor will automatically begin to drop snow down your monitor. An icon of a snowflake will be in your Taskbar tray. Right-click the icon to adjust the application’s settings.
You can change the Speed of snowflakes. You can go to Options > Transparent to adjust the transparency, and Options > Always on top to make the cursor snow fall no matter what window you have open. Finally, check Start when I start Windows if you want to avoid having to open the application each time you sign in.
6. Apply Some Christmas Sounds
Christmas songs get played too early in the year, but don’t let that burn you out from setting some festive sounds for your computer. You can change the sounds that are set for your calendar reminders, system notifications, and more. Get away from those default Windows noises and have some jingle bells!
- Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Click System.
- From the left menu, click Sound.
- Beneath the Related Settings heading, click Sound Control Panel.
- Switch to the Sounds tab. Here you can make your changes.
- Select the Program Event you want to change, then press Browse.
- Choose the WAV file (and it must be in that format) and press Open.
- Finally, click OK to confirm.
If you’re on the hunt for some Christmas sounds to download, check out Freesound, Free-Loops, and Sound Bible.
7. Turn the Taskbar Festive
This one is a little garish, but when else can you embrace the cheese if not Christmas? An application called Christmas Taskbar will make your taskbar snow and, if you choose, float colored circles up and down.
Download the ZIP, extract it, and open the EXE. Your taskbar will automatically kit out with the festivities. A snowflake icon will appear in your Taskbar tray. Right-click it to start adjusting the settings.
Uncheck Animation if you don’t want the colored circles. Check Start when I start Windows if you want the application run automatically when you sign in. You can also adjust the Speed of snowflakes and transparency via Options > Transparent.
A small note: if you change the size or position of your Taskbar, right-click the snowflake icon, click Exit, and relaunch the application.
8. Apply a Christmas Screensaver
Screensavers used to prevent screen burn, but now they exist to have something on your monitor while you’re not using the computer. Perfect for Christmas customization!
Screensavers Planet has a great selection of mostly free festive screensavers.
Browse the site for something that takes your fancy. Then download and run the EXE. Follow the installation wizard; at the end you’ll be taken to the Windows screensaver settings. Here you can use the Screen saver dropdown to make a choice and adjust the Wait time to set how much inactivity should pass before the screensaver comes on.
To get back to this settings window at a later date, press Windows key + I and go to Personalization > Lock screen > Screen saver settings.
‘Tis the Season to Be Jolly
You can never have too much Christmas spirit, so hopefully this fun list of Windows 10 customization options has proved useful for you. Now all you need to do is pop on your Santa hat and you’re good to go!
Once your computer is suitably festive, don’t forget to send out your Christmas cards. You could even try making your own for that personalized touch.
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