Facebook, a Meta company launches new holiday features to Messenger and Instagram including new suggested word effects, new soundmojis, Messenger Kids Santa experience, Cash Gift cards, and Holiday AR effects. Must update your Messenger and Instagram app to try these new features.

The company teaming up 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. With Ashley’s AR effects, you can experience 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.

To use Ashley’s holiday AR effects, make a video call on Messenger or Instagram or use Messenger Camera to take selfies, click the smiley face icon and click on the “Effects” tab to try this AR effect.

In the Messenger app, you can now see suggested word effects when you greetings someone, these are the emojis that you can add to your chats in the Messenger app. When you send greetings to some, the emoji popup will appear, tap it and send it to them and see the effects.

The company has also added a 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.

The company also enhanced your conversations with new soundmojis by bringing two new seasonal emojis. In the Messenger chat, tap the loudspeaker icon and find 🎁 and 🎄 emojis for special holiday song surprises.

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.

Santa Experience on Messenger Kids

• Chat with “Santa”: Set up a direct line to the North Pole by opting into the Santa chat experience. Parents in the U.S., 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.