I’m not kidding you when I say that every year, I plan to do one of those cool advent calendars with little toys or candies in every counting-­down window, and every year, I don’t follow through. (Sad face.) That’s why this adorable advent calendar app is making me feel a bit less guilty about my holiday parenting fail.

Binny’s Advent Calendar is a sweet little gift for your Christmas countdown with its charming illustrations and and low­key games for each of the 25 day to the Big Event, it feels about as magical as you’re going to get in the tech world. Award-winning illustrator Binny Talib leads your kid down a Scandinavian streetscape with numbered hearts that only open on the correct day.

With its amusing voice­ over and somewhat eccentric snowmen and reindeer, the mini­games of card­-matching and present­wrapping are just enough to work up a nice excitement for the real December 25th deals. Sweet and cheap, this is the perfect little anticipatory Christmas tidbit. Love! -Shari

Find Binny’s Advent Calendar for Android on Google Play and for iOS on iTunes for just $.99.