Don’t Let the Holidays Be a Recipe for Disaster - Make It Joyful with MHL

Okay, here’s the scenario: you and your family and friends just finished a holiday meal with all the trimmings.  Everyone sitting at the table is suddenly half comatose as the blood rushes to their stomachs.  One person is smart enough to make some coffee and the other is kind enough to start doing the dishes.  Everyone else reaches into their pocket or purse and grabs their smartphone.  It’s been over an hour since they last checked it, right?  The conversation stops, the silence is deafening except for the family cat scampering across the floor.

So how can you save this family gathering from going to pieces and avoid everyone slipping into their smartphone worlds? Well, if you can’t beat them, join them.  Instead of creating family drama by nagging people to get off their phones, just go with it.  Here are six “MHL recipes” to flavor your entertainment dishes from mobile to big screen!

APPETIZER  

• Take your phones for a walk.  Have everyonegrab their smartphones and head outside as a group to get some fresh air. Encourage everyone to take photos with their phones of funny group shots or make videos of family and friends tossing a football around. Go back to the house to show all of those pictures and videos on the big screen with the winner securing a whole year of bragging rights.

MAIN COURSE

•  Show your relatives who is the best gamer in the family. Fight off food coma, by getting your entire family involved with an interactive and fun video game. No gaming console, no problem!  Bring your Bluetooth gaming controller and pair it with your Android smartphone to game all night without any lag.  Pull up Family Feud, Heads-Up or another one of your favorite trivia games and be prepared to get LOUD.

DESSERT 

• When all else fails, watch a movie.  After the pie has been finished, gather everyone in the family room to watch your favorite YouTube video, a classic film like Casablanca, or the latest Marvel movie releases that you’ve stored on your tablet.  An MHL connection supports cinema-quality video and surround sound audio.  You can also use Netflix or Hulu to stream movies, all while your television charges back your phone, so get with the TV program.

AFTER DINNER DRINKS

• Fire up the Yule Log.  Yes, the classic fireplace video footage of a crackling log has been recreated by many on YouTube.  Start with a small fire on your phone, and then move it to the big screen as it catches. Grab a glass of brandy or a steaming cup of hot chocolate, tea, or coffee and relax on the couch with your loved ones and ignite some conversation.

LEFTOVERS

• Keep the backseat drivers at bay.  Many car entertainment systems have MHL so, if you have one, you can entertain your backseat passengers with movies or games. I also suggest you bring some extra headphones for those being entertained…so you can drive in peace.

One holiday down! We hope these MHL ideas are your recipes for success or just food for thought.