• To celebrate the holidays, we’re bringing festive features to Messenger, including new AR effects by beauty gurus Bretman Rock and Ashley Strong, along with holiday-themed word effects, a New Year’s Eve chat theme and seasonal soundmojis.
• We’re also rolling out holiday-themed backgrounds and gift wrap on Messenger using Facebook Pay on Android devices.
• And on Messenger Kids, we’re launching a Santa chat experience, virtual holiday games and fun AR effects.

‘Tis the season! We’re offering a lineup of holiday-themed features to help get you in that festive mood in your Messenger and Instagram DMs. Suggested word effects, new soundmojis, the Messenger Kids Santa Experience and holiday AR effects are all part of the package. Bundle up and check out what we’ve got for you.

Glow Up for the Holidays

We know the holidays are a time to look your absolute best, whether you’re celebrating IRL or virtually. We partnered with beauty guru Ashley Strong to create a new AR Effect that’ll help you glow up for the celebrations on Messenger and Instagram video calls!

Launching this week, Ashley’s AR Effect takes your look to the next level with sparkles and shiny snowflakes that appear from your eyes when you blink. With this effect, you can magically freeze the screen – just open your mouth for a cold breath to start to appear and freeze the screen. Brrr!

You can try out any of our holiday AR effects by heading to your Messenger app or Instagram and starting a video call, or by opening the Messenger camera to take a selfie. Click on the smiley face icon to see them in the Effects tab. 

Sprinkle Your Messages With Holiday Magic

Chances are, you’ll be sending lots of messages over the holidays. To make spreading cheer easier and more fun, we’ve created suggested word effects in Messenger for wishing people a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa. You guessed it — these are the emojis that go along with the greetings: , and . Add them to your chats when prompted to let everyone you’re messaging share in the joy.

Plan some seriously lit end-of-year parties with our latest New Year’s Eve chat theme for Messenger and Instagram DMs, which also comes with its own word effects: = Happy New Year, = 2022 and = Cheers. There’s lots to celebrate!

Finally, soundmojis bring a new auditory dimension to your conversations, and we’ve added two new seasonal ones to spruce up your chats. Visit your Messenger expressions tray, select the loudspeaker icon and find the and emojis for a special holiday song surprise!

Add a Festive Touch to Cash Gifts on Messenger

Want to skip the hassle of long lines and out-of-stock shelves this holiday season? You can now send your loved ones a cash gift with new holiday-themed backgrounds and gift wrap on Messenger using Facebook Pay on Android devices. When a friend sends you a cash gift, you’ll be notified on Messenger and Facebook with their message gift wrapped. To send a holiday cash gift, tap the $ icon in the Messenger composer, enter a dollar amount, write a personalized message, and select a holiday themed background or a gift wrap. With fast transfers to bank accounts and no fees, it’s a great last minute gift.

Spread Cheer With Messenger Kids

Let’s face it, the holidays are only a success if the whole fam is having fun, especially the little ones. We’re bringing spirited activities and features to Messenger Kids so that kids can connect with friends and family throughout the winter.

• Chat with “Santa”: Set up a direct line to the North Pole by opting into the Santa chat experience. Parents in the US, Canada and Australia can send their kids messages as Santa and kids can message back. The magic continues after Christmas too, as the Santa chat thread will stay open until early January. So don’t forget to thank Santa and share photos of your favorite holiday moments! 
• Virtual Holiday Games: We know kids always love a good new game, especially one that builds on the holiday cheer! This year, kids can design and share their own ugly holiday sweater or play with the new holiday-themed jackalope virtual pet. 
• Holiday AR Effects and Artwork: Kids can express their holiday spirit by trying out Messenger Kids’ many AR effects, such as dancing around in a Santa suit, lighting up the room with a glowing reindeer nose or ringing in the New Year with 2022 glasses . Kids can also decorate their photos with a sweet gingerbread frame or seasonal stickers.

To activate the Santa experience, go to the Parent Dashboard, visit Controls, and tap Santa Experience. If you haven’t set up Messenger Kids for your child yet, you’ll be prompted to do so. Remember, only the parent who created the Messenger Kids account can activate, control and use the Santa experience with their child.