MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — When it comes to letters to Santa, some are ditching the pen and paper and looking to their tablets and smartphones instead.

Though many say there’s nostalgia to sitting down and penning a holiday wish list, others have embraced the high-tech approach, thanks to apps and social networking.

For them, it’s about modern-day convenience and gifting across multiple retailers — Red Envelope, Amazon, various department stores.

During this season for sharing, there are more twists than ever on the traditional holiday wish list.

“People used to use paper and pencil, and put it on the refrigerator. I remember doing that when I was growing up,” Techlicious editor-in-chief Suzanne Kantra said. “And then different types of websites would have different kinds of digital wish lists for their own website.”

Sites like Amazon, Wishpot and Tall Wish let users share lists with family and friends across social networking sites where they already interact. And the explosion in Pinterest’s popularity has created another avenue, allowing users to include specific pictures of what they want.

“Being able to put together a bunch of ideas and then be able to winnow those down really makes a huge difference,” Kantra said. “And then you can follow other people’s gift ideas as well.”

Just last month, Pinterest opened up the site to businesses, which means retailers can highlight their own wares this holiday season.

Incidentally, we’re now just over three weeks away from Christmas. And if you’re planning to ship out any presents today, you’re not alone. Monday is FedEx’s busiest day of the year.

A record 19 million packages are expected to ship on Monday, more than double the amount handled on a typical day. FedEx says most of the increase in shipments is because of a big jump in online holiday orders.