This Is The Only Gift You Will Need For Your Whole Family

This is a sponsored post in partnership with HP. I was compensated but all opinions are solely my own.

Every year there is the hottest this, or coolest that, present to give for Christmas. Trying to decipher what all the perfect Christmas gifts are is enough to make your head spin and cause you to curl up in the corner while sending you to your happy place. Maybe you haven't even finished shopping yet because you are paralyzed to set foot in the store, or you just don't feel like playing the game of "race to the last parking spot before that other guy goes down the lane the wrong way and beats you to it." 

I totally understand. Let me put you at ease. I have an idea for one Christmas gift for your whole family. This is in addition to love. And chocolate. Because those are always in the running. Especially love. Ok especially chocolate too. You can order this gift online and it has something for everyone. There are interactive apps for the kids, design tools for the creative types, and hardware power for the gamers in your life. It's the Sprout by HP. You have heard me talk about it for the past year and I want to recommend it again. Here are four reasons why.

1. With the exception of doing the dishes, you can accomplish almost any task on it.
I still haven't found the app for creating a robot that changes diapers, but the Sprout still does some amazing things. We have loved the 3D scan feature that also makes it easy to
print out 3D objects. This year for Christmas, we printed out our own ornaments and the kids painted them to give away as gifts. Let's be honest, they won't win any artistic awards, but they will when the hearts of their grandparents! Recently, I was having a hard time finding the right cookie cutter. So I downloaded a picture of what I needed, edited it, converted it to the right file, and printed out my own cookie cutter all on the Sprout! Family time has also started becoming much more creative as my kids and I have started making stop motion animation films. See how we easily made one movie together HERE. Find more creative projects that people have made with the Sprout by searching #gomakethings on your social media channels!

2. It's fun times for the kids (and adults).
The apps on the Sprout just keep getting better and better. The crazy thing is, they are all free. These aren't just free apps that you will never use, like the one's that take up all the memory on your smartphone. These are actually one's that you will play with again and again. My kids love the the Crayola Color Draw and Sing and the StoryProducer Dreamworks Edition. With the Crayola app you get to color and make music while the Story Producer lets you set the scene with The Penguins of Madagascar or How to Train Your Dragon and create your own movie. When the kids let me play, I can't get enough of Spruzzle, which is a digital puzzle creator that you solve using the touch mat. Origami Apprentice is a blast too. See how we used it to create seasonal crafts HERE.

3. You don't need a degree in computer engineering to operate it.
One of the issues that I have with some computer programs is that you almost need to pay someone to teach you how to use the program you just paid for. My 5 and 9 year olds figured out how to use the Sprout just as quickly as I did. The touch mat and touch monitor make using it extremely intuitive. The processor and memory make sure that this machine is quick and agile so it won't freeze up on you. Don't be fooled by the simplicity, however. The Sprout has the power to handle whatever you throw at it. It comes standard with an Intel Core I7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 1 TB hybrid drive. I've edited HD video, played games, and sat through numerous kid's shows. Let me put it this way. If my 5 year old can work it, then you should be able to as well. 

4. It keeps you more connected than Han Solo and Chewbacca.
These Star Wars heroes might be able to team together to do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, but they got nothing on my kids connecting on a video call with their friends and family. We are moving next month, so we are prepping our kids by letting them practice with video calls to family members. I love that my children can both sit in front of the screen at the same time and have great conversations with loved ones whenever they need to. No more wrestling over the small tablet. We might live across the U.S., but the Sprout helps our family stick together!

These are just four reasons why I think the Sprout by HP is the perfect gift for your family this holiday season. I could have made the list much longer, but parents don't have that kind of time and I think you get the point. It's not too late to get one in your local store or pick one up online. Remember to check out #GoMakeThings on social media to get more ideas for fun holiday ways you can use this awesome present!