Now that Christmas is over (Happy Boxing Day!), I'm willing to bet that Santa delivered lots of iPads to good boys and girls all around the world. If you were one of them, you might just be asking yourself what to do with it now.

The iPad comes with lots of really useful apps built-in that I use constantly (like Mail, Calendar, Photos, Movies, iBooks, etc), but there are also a lot of really useful apps available through the app store that will help to make life a little easier, and a lot more enjoyable for you. Here is a list of my top 12 favorite applications to use (some are iPad only, and others are iPad/iPhone compatible). I tried to keep it to 10, but there are just too many great apps available!

Adobe Ideas (free; $5 for additional features)

It took me a long time to find the perfect whiteboard app, and I think this is it. I carry my iPad with me all the time, and have used it many times to help visually share ideas with others. Adobe Ideas allows you to set a theme of colors to use for a specific idea, or set exactly the color you need when you need it. You can change the pen size and transparency, even create multiple layers to turn on and off when needed. The free version includes everything except for multiple layers. If this feature is important, it will cost you $5 (in-app purchase).

iDisk (free)

I store most of my documents in my iDisk folder, which is part of Apple's MobileMe service. If you are familiar with Dropox, it's similar in concept. The free iDisk app allows me to browse and open files stored on my iDisk as well as share them with others on the fly.

Calculator ($1)

Believe it or not, the iPad (unlike the iPhone) does NOT come with a built-in calculator! There are plenty of apps out there to fix that problem, but I like this one the best. I like it because it looks good and has a pad to the right of the calculator to jot down notes.

iWork ($10 each)

Ok, so I cheated a little this one. The iWork suite is actually 3 separate applications, each one costing $10. Keynote is for presentations, Pages is for word processing and Numbers is for spreadsheets. These apps are compatible not only with the Mac version of iWork, but also with the three main Microsoft Office apps (PowerPoint, Word and Excel). You can open and save as these formats. I don't use them a ton, but they are definitely worth having for those times that you do need them.

AIM (free)

I use iChat on my Mac pretty heavily. Although there is no iChat version for iPad (yet?), AIM will at least let you type chat with your iChat list. iChat, by the way, uses the AIM network, so they are both compatible with each other.

GoToMeeting (free)

Unless you participate in the occasional online meeting with GoToMeeting, you won’t think much about this one, but if you do, it’s a life-saver. You can’t begin a meeting from here yet, but this free app allows you to participate in a live GoToMeeting meeting, complete with bi-directional audio. I used this just the other week in an airport while waiting for a flight.

Angry Birds HD ($2)

Angry Birds is arguably one of the greatest games ever designed for an “i” device, and this is the HD version designed specifically for the iPad. The graphics are stunning, and it’s a great way to pass a few minutes while waiting in line or for a meeting to begin.

iPing ($1)

iPing is a very simple, single-use all that does nothing else but ping an address (URL or IP). Sounds useless to many, but if you administer a large network like I do, it’s a big help to have around.

Remote (free)

This free app let’s you control your Apple TV (any generation) right from your iPad. It gives you an easy-to-use interface, one that resembles iTunes.

Twitter (free)

I use Twitter heavily, and this is one of the best Twitter apps around.

CNBC RT (free)

Like to have a custom ticker-tape running throughout the day while keeping up on financial news? This free app is for you. Quite easily one of the best financial apps available.

Netflix (free)

Seriously, you can’t possibly own an iPad without owning the free Netflix app (obviously, you need to be a Netflix subscriber to use it)! From here, you can manage your queue as well as watch streaming content over WiFi or 3G.