Cooking an elaborate holiday dinner is complicated enough; let Alexa help out with timers. If your hands are covered with pie dough, but you need to set a timer for the green bean casserole in the oven, ask Alexa to "set a timer for X minutes." Even better, you can set timers for specific items; "Alexa, set a potato timer for 20 minutes" and "Alexa, set a gravy timer for 5 minutes." When the timer is up, Alexa will announce that your potato or gravy timer is up, followed by the familiar alert. In the coming days, meanwhile, Alexa will let you add time to an existing timer ("Alexa, add 5 minutes to my potato timer.")

If you don't want to muck up your tablet or cookbook with sticky hands, meanwhile, the Recipe Speak skill can be your sous chef. With Recipe Speak enabled, Alexa can walk you through recipes step by step. Use the commands "next," "previous," "repeat," "Go to start," "Go to ingredients," "Go to steps," and "pause" to cook without checking the cookbook 1,000 times.

Life is already busy enough. Add in all the holiday parties, presents, and decorations, and it's nearly impossible to remember everything. Don't worry: Alexa can help you create a list. Say, "Alexa, create a list." She'll ask what you'd like to call it, and after confirming, you can add (or remove) things from a list ("Alexa, add 'call mom' to my To-Do List"). Manage lists in the Alexa app (Settings > Lists) or on Echo devices with displays.

Get your holiday shopping done with the sound of your voice. If you know your sister wants a Nintendo Switch, ask Alexa to buy it. Or, if mom wants a new hairdryer and you're unsure which kind to get her, ask Alexa to find the most popular hair dryer according to Amazon reviews. You can also re-order favorites items, like your dad's favorite socks. And for a limited time, you can buy Toys for Tots gifts by voice, too. Once an order is placed, track it by saying, "Alexa, where's my stuff?"

If you're not sick of Christmas music yet, the iHeart Santa skill from iHeartRadio will keep the party going. Say, "Alexa, ask iHeart Santa for Christmas music" for access to North Pole Radio. Or ask Santa to pick something else. Note: you'll need second-gen Echo devices.

When you're cozy on the couch with a belly full of sugar cookies, don't move. Ask Alexa to turn on your indoor and/or outdoor holidays lights. All you need are some Alexa-compatible smart plugs, like our Editors' Choice options: the Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug, iHome iSP6X SmartPlug, and iHome iSP100 Outdoor SmartPlug. Amazon also now offers its own $25 Smart Plug.

Whether you're super excited for Dec. 25 or extremely stressed because there's so much to do before the big day, the various Christmas Countdown skills will help you get a handle on how much time you have to accomplish your tasks (or drive you nuts; happy holidays!). True Christmas fanatics can keep these skills active all year long to find out just how many days they have until Santa arrives once again. Christmas Trivia skills, meanwhile, will make your family holiday know-it-alls.

Where is Santa? Ask Alexa. With the "Where Is Santa?" skill, kids can find out what Santa is doing at the North Pole in the days before Christmas; on Christmas Eve, you'll find out where Santa is in the world. The NORAD skill is a little more serious (a parent will have to approve installation of the skill via text message), but they're the real deal.

Once Santa's milk and cookies are in place, make a cocktail for yourself. If you don't know how to make spiked eggnog, just ask Alexa to open a bartending skill and learn precisely how to prepare an arsenal of different drinks. Alexa will tell you the ingredients, how much you'll need, and how best to craft an excellent cocktail.

The holiday season is so magical because of the spirit of giving. While the holidays can be stressful and require you to embrace consumerism, don't forget the reason for the season. Enable the Christmas Kindness skill, and Alexa will suggest a random act of kindness you can integrate into your daily life every morning during the holiday season. Just say, "Alexa, Open Christmas Kindness."

As Hanukkah comes to a close, ask Alexa to virtually spin the dreidel. If you don't know how to play, Alexa will tell you the rules of the game and explain what each side of the dreidel means. If a Hanukkah party is on your calendar, brush up on your knowledge with these Hanukkah Facts skills.

If you're still shopping, check out PCMag's pick for the Best Tech Gifts Under $50.