Every holiday season, I struggle with finding the perfect gifts. My big Italian family means I’m always surrounded by love, support and great food — it also means an endless holiday gift list. I’m 99% sure my son doesn’t want another sweater, and my husband, well, he’s lucky if he gets clean socks under the tree. My coworkers & I had a good laugh over the worst gifts they’ve received over the years: An Olive Garden gift card, Paul Blart Mall Cop on Blu-Ray, and a stale bucket of popcorn to name a few. While I don’t have the budget for a new car wrapped in a bow (do people really do that?!), I still want to get my loved ones something thoughtful and useful, ideally something that can bring the family closer together without breaking the bank — That’s when I came across Babbel.
Babbel is a language learning app that offers simple instruction to learn multiple languages — from beginner to advanced. Developed by a team of over 100 language experts from more than 40 nations around the world, a research study by CUNY* found that Babbel could help people learn a semester’s worth of language in just three weeks. With a cost of only $7 a month, this would be a great stocking stuffer. Better yet, I went online to find they’re offering a 25% off holiday deal on any 6 or 12-month package.
With a family of a million different ages, hobbies, and interests, Babbel would allow us all to bond over our cultural heritage and learn a little bit of Italian thrown in with our massive pasta dinners… Nonna would be proud. Plus, I learned that the lessons are divided into bite-size, 15 minute classes, which feels like a good, digestible amount that wouldn’t be too time-consuming for everyone. I found the pronunciation technology especially fascinating, because Babbel will listen to the way you speak & correct the pronunciation if needed by having you repeat after the app.
After all the years of giving my family gifts they don’t end up using, I’d never been more excited to give this present to them. Every holiday season, they brace themselves for random gift cards from relatives and semi-stylish clothing I cross my fingers and hope they’ll like. This year, though, I’m certain they’ll love their gift. I’m looking forward to how Babbel will bring our family closer together… & who knows, maybe there’s a family Italia trip in our near future?
Update: The folks at Babbel are extending a special offer to our readers. For a limited time only follow this link to get 25% of your purchase!
*City University of New York (CUNY)
