Can you get anything done with the kids out of school? iPhone and iTouch apps are a great distraction for kids when parents are trying to get some last-minute holiday shopping in. If you could use an extra 15 minutes to yourself  to finish that conversation or simply wrap a present—here are 14 Christmas apps that will keep your kids occupied and laughing too.

Snowy’s Christmas Pinball, $1.99, ages 7 and up

A great distraction game for the iPhone and iPod touch from Matmi for kids that are too old to watch “Frosty the Snowman.” There are three different pinball boards that are connected. Pull back on the launcher to put the pinball in action and tap the sticks to bounce the pinball back up the board to keep it alive. I thought the “Scrooge” board was a little scary for smaller kids, but if your kids are gamers they might not even notice. We tested Version 1.3. Compatible with the iPhone 2.2.1 or later and the iPod touch.

Christmas Camera, $0.99, ages 4 and up

A fun picture taking Christmas app for the iPhone from CoCoaTek. Just click the present box to pick a frame theme, line up who you want to take a picture of, and touch the Santa to take the picture. Your kids faces will be framed in Santa hats or surrounded by Christmas lights. Click on the present box to see the photos you’ve taken. Next, email it to your friends. Fun and funny! We tested Version 1.2. (there’s a New Version 1.3 with background music) Compatible with iPhone. Requires OS 3.1 or later.

Snowball Runner, $0.99, ages 5 and up

Watch your snowball get bigger and catch speed as you tilt your iPhone or iPod touch and zoom down the hill. Roll over animals to get points. Avoid trees and rocks or else your snowball will shrink until it’s no more and the game is over. Music plays while the game is on. It’s a great winter themed game that you can keep playing well past Christmas. We tested Version 3.8. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires OS 2.2 or later.

Snow Globe maker Winter Edition, $0.99, ages 3 and up

I liked this snow globe app because kids can pick their own items to go in the snow globe. I made one with a dog, penguin, polar bear and Christmas tree – then added our name on the base. It plays holiday music in the back and you can shake the snow over your creation. We tested Version 1.3. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires OS 3.1 or later. However, you kids might also have fun putting their own faces and pictures into the Snow Globe Souvenirs (free) from Persuasive Games. Not as pretty, but goofy and fun for parties.

Parents Calling Santa, $1.99, just for parents

This is an app for parents who need to keep their kids in check. And let me just say that this would’ve totally worked on me back in the day. It’s great for younger kids who believe that Santa is judging their behavior right down to the very last minute before Christmas. Select from a “good call,” “warning call,” or “naughty call.” Set a timer as to when you’d like Santa to call you and he will. The voice is terrific but make sure your kids know that Santa can’t keep calling over and over. And Santa doesn’t have time to answer questions either. We tested Version 1.2. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch (2nd generation). Requires iPhone OS or later.

Christmas C@rds, $1.99, ages 5 and up

If you’re late on sending your holiday cards out through USPS, don’t sweat it.  Snap a pic and send it through your phone. These look like real cards and are a lot more personal than a group text message.We tested Version 1.9. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 2.1 or later.

Snowfight, $0.99, ages 7 and up

I loved this game. iTunes gave it a rating of 9+ for some violence. But it’s just a snowball fight. I got to Level 5 and didn’t see any blood or crazy violence. It was pretty straight forward. You have black caps and are against the kids with the red caps. Move your guys in front of the red cap kids and sling snowballs at them. It’s easy to figure out and play (and even to advance levels) compared to other games. I definitely felt like I got my money’s worth. We tested Version 1.0. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires OS 2.2.1 or later.

A Christmas Santa, $0.99, ages 7 and up

Poor Santa. Rudolph is on strike. Santa has decided to try and fly alone. When I read the reviews for this app it said it was addictive and I was immediately intrigued. Plus it has great graphics. But I must be out of touch with our gaming youth because I couldn’t figure out what the money was for or how to make Santa fly longer. Still, this is a good looking app and I can tell that little gamers will get into earning their way to the top and using all the different gliders and rockets to make Santa go faster. Also, it has OpenFeint if you’re into sharing your scores. We tested Version 1.1.0. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later.

Twas the Night Before Jasper’s Christmas, $0.99, ages 3 and up

Puppies sell. Twas the Night Before Jasper’s Christmas will undoubtedly hold your child’s attention far longer than the traditional version. Jasper’s version has cute graphics and a pleasant woman’s voice reading the story. Don’t forget to turn the page when you hear the magic wand. Parents, if you want to record your own voice—download the traditional version of the Christmas classic (also $0.99).

Bunny Xmas – A Children’s Story, $1.99, ages 2 and up

A sweet audio book about a bunny who meets a woman named Carla and goes home with her to play with more bunnies. This is great if your young kids like to be read to. You can change the settings so that the pages flip automatically, the reader’s voice (a woman’s) is on or off, and you can also record and play your own voice. We tested Version 1.2. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch (2nd generation). Requires OS 3.0 or later.

The Smelly Sprout, $1.99, ages 2 and up

A fun kids’ audiobook app based on the bestselling English Christmas story of the same name.  Kids will love this unpopular brussel sprout who is tossed out in the snow on Christmas day.  He is subsequently rejected by a Christmas tree, a snowman, and a fox, before finding a home for the holiday. We tested version 1.0, which is compatible with the iPhone (OS 3.1 or later) and the second generation iPod touch.

Christmas Match, $0.99, ages 2 and up

A cheery app that’s great for preschoolers—and those that collect matching apps. Snow falls over your cards and bells jingle when you turn your cards over. Look for Rudolph, elves, presents, bells, gingerbread cookies, Christmas stockings and more. For those that are older than three, you get your score and how long it took you, plus your best time and score after you finish matching all the cards. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 2.1 or later.

Christmas Music, $1.99, all ages

Sometimes a kid (or me for that matter) just wants to hear a Christmas Carol. I was playing the Wheels on the Bus app for a 3 year-old the  the other day and she asked if I had anything that played Jingle Bells. “Holiday Music from nuTsie” does indeed have Jingle Bells in their “Top 100 Christmas Songs” section. Unfortunately – this app plays all the music in a shuffle format. If you want to go directly to one song, you can preview it, buy it or see it as a video on YouTube. But at least all the Christmas songs you could ever want are somewhere in this massive list.

A-Story-A-Day Advent Calendar Christmas 2009, $1.99, all ages

This is a great Christmas app for the whole family from Moulinarn Mobile Books. Sure it’s an advent calendar without chocolate but I think there’s always more room for parents to read to their children. This Advent calendar app loads a traditional Christmas story every day of December until Christmas. If you’re starting now, you will have the other stories already loaded and waiting for you. Be prepared, some of the stories are l-o-n-g. We tested Version 1.0.3. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 2.2 or later.