Don't forget the holiday games and browser themes

The other day my colleague Martin Brinkman did a very nice roundup of holiday goodies for your computer. While he covered almost all of what I would tell you as well, there were a couple of areas left that I thought could be touched on. These involve entertainment, in the form of gaming, and a piece of software that is perhaps the most used by any of us -- the good old web browser.

Let's start with a few games, because everyone needs a bit of stress release this time of year. If you're looking for a simple game with no download required, then Rolling Santa can be played right from your web browser. It's a simple premise -- you’ll use your keyboard to move forward and backwards, speed up, jump and duck. Be sure to keep moving as quickly as you can, because if the rushing wall of snow catches you, then it’s game over.

If it's a Windows 8.1 experience you are looking for, then there a couple of new games available that manage to avoid the traditionalism. So much so, that they pit Saint Nick against both a hangman's noose and the undead. In Hang Me Christmas you need to guess the word in an old fashioned game of hangman, though the word will be holiday related, and if you don't get there before making five mistakes then you'll be on the losing end of the rope.

Meanwhile, Santa vs Zombies pits the jolly old elf against the undead. Nothing like having your children look over your shoulder and see Santa overwhelmed by the walking dead, right?

If it's a simple browser theme you are seeking, then Chrome and Firefox have plenty to offer. Chrome themes load to the New Tab page, where they provide a background for your most visited sites and the apps you've installed. There are are thousands of them available for free in the Web Store, including this image that includes a decorated tree and roaring fire.

Meanwhile, Firefox also has themes, though they are more well known by the original name of Personas, and it get's a bit confusing beyond that. However, these are designs that wallpaper the menu bars at the top of the browser and, like Chrome, there are countless ones available, including a number of nice ones for this time of year, depicting everything from Peanuts to the Grinch, to decorations.

Not to be outdone, Torch, a somewhat lesser known browser, has posted a number of themes to get you in spirit. The software is based of Chrome, and these work essentially the same.

You get the point by now. There are numerous ways to decorate your computer and many an interesting game to be played on it as well. The  question is -- how, or if, you are taking advantage of any of this. And, if so, have you found anything we've missed?

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