Four Ways to Make Your Christmas Tree Smarter 

Smart Christmas Trees Take Your Home to the Next Level

It’s no secret that our homes are getting smarter. Various smart home technologies, such as smart lights, automated blinds, integrated entertainment systems, and webcams on our doorsteps, are making our homes more convenient, secure—and simply enough—more fun. Most homes in the United States now have at least one smart home device, such as Alexa or Google Home. But did you know that you can now use smart technology to transform your Christmas tree experience this year? In this blog, we’re looking at 4 ways to make your Christmas tree smarter. From using timers, syncing up to other smart home tech, or opting for an artificial tree this year, you can bring your Christmas tree into the 21st century and create a truly unique holiday display.

Christmas Designers is your leading provider of commercial, pro-grade Christmas lights and decorations. Our team of Christmas enthusiasts can help you design a unique and eye-catching holiday display this year. Whether you’re working on a commercial Christmas design or simply decorating your own home, we offer the widest selection and most competitive pricing to help you create something truly magical. Read on to learn more about ways to make your Christmas tree smarter.

How to Make Your Christmas Tree Smarter

We’ve come a long way since using candles to light up our Christmas trees every December. Now that we have LED lights and smart home technology, you can create a truly impressive Christmas tree display for your home or commercial project. Smart home tech can make your Christmas display more convenient, easier to control, and more eye-catching than ever before. So, what are some ways you can help your tree graduate into the smart home tech craze this year?

1. Voice Control Your Christmas Tree Lights

Imagine if turning on and off your Christmas tree lights was as simple as saying, “Hey, Alexa, turn on my Christmas tree lights.” Well, with smart home technology, you can. By using an Amazon Alexa device, such as Amazon Echo, and a smart plug, you can have total control over your Christmas lights with the sound of your voice.

Start with a smart plug. A smart plug is a small Wi-Fi device that plugs into a standard electrical outlet on your wall. A smart plug allows you to then control any electrical device (such as your Christmas tree lights) from your smartphone, laptop, or tablet. When choosing a smart plug, make sure it’s one that links up to Alexa.

Once you’ve set up your LED Christmas lights and connected them to your smart plug, open the Alexa app on your smartphone and follow the simple setup instructions. Not only can you now control your Christmas tree lights from anywhere in your home, but you can also turn them on or off with a simple voice command. Another great perk? Finally, there will be someone in your home who actually listens to you.

2. Use a Christmas Tree Smart Timer

Are you tired of bending down under your Christmas tree every evening to turn on your lights? One of the easiest, most basic upgrade for a smarter Christmas tree experience is to use a timer for your Christmas tree lights. Automating your tree lights with a timer makes your tree smarter and your life easier, ensuring that they'll be on and off at the right hours. As the holidays are such a busy time for everyone, sometimes we need extra help to remember to turn on our tree during the day and shut it off at night to save energy.

Christmas light timers are reliable and relatively inexpensive. There are three primary types of timers: standard timers, photocell timers, and smart timers. Standard timers use an internal clock to turn your lights on or off. Simply program the on and off sequences and let your timer take care of the rest.

Photocell timers base their on and off sequence on levels of daylight. These timers are equipped with light-detecting sensors that allow them to distinguish day from night. Photocell timers are ideal for people who don't want their trees lit during the daytime. Many people are spending their short winter daylight hours at work or school, and photocell timers can help shut the tree off and save energy during the day. The one drawback to using a photocell timer is if you live in an area with a lot of ambient light at night, such as a busy downtown apartment. The ambient light could trick your photocell timer into thinking its daytime and it may not turn your lights on.

Smart timers connect with your WiFi to allow remote or voice control over your lights. Just like the smart plug, smart timers integrate with the Smart Life and Alexa app to control your lights at the socket. From here, the smart timer can help you set multi-schedule timing with daily schedules, event control, and even different scenes.

3. Using Twinkly Home Lights On Your Christmas Tree

If you’re looking to really take your Christmas tree to the next level, Twinkly RGB Christmas lights are smart lights that bring a new level of control and capabilities to your decorations. Twinkly RGB lights make your Christmas tree come to life with animated effects, patterns, and a color palette of over 16 million available hues, shades and tints. You can even synchronize your Twinkly Home lights to music with the Twinkly dongle for a fully immersive holiday display. Connect these LED Christmas lights to your Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth device, or ethernet cable for full control over the display. Use your smartphone or any smart home device for easy customization and control. With practically an endless variety of colors, effects, and patterns, Twinkly allows you to transform your traditional Christmas tree this holiday season.

Twinkly RGB lights provide you full control and customization over your Christmas tree lights. With the automated light mapping feature, you can use a smartphone camera to map out your Twinkly effects. With just a few clicks, you can easily create your own pro-grade light display in your home. You can choose from some of the preset effects or customize and upload your own effects for a truly unique display. With multiple connectivity options and addressable LED lights in a wide selection of colors, Twinkly Christmas lights are designed to fit your needs and express your own creativity.

Configuring Your Twinkly Tree Lights With the Alexa App

Connecting your Twinkly lights to Alexa is also possible through app integration (for Generation I and II). The set-up is surprisingly easy through the Twinkly and Alexa apps. Follow these helpful set up tips (or view the full tutorial from Twinkly here):

1. Download the Twinkly app and connect to your local WiFi Network. Make sure that your app and device have the latest firmware updates installed.
2. Download the Alexa app and follow the guide to configure your device and app. Your mobile device, Alexa device and Twinkly device must all be connected to the same local WiFi network.
3. With the Alexa app open, find the Twinkly skill and configure it under "lights > others".
4. Use your Twinkly log in credentials to log in through the Alexa app.
5. You should see your Twinkly devices listed in the available elements (or your Twinkly group, if applicable).

For all generations of Twinkly, the available Alexa command is "Alexa: turn Twinkly on" or "off." For Twinkly Generation II devices and later, you can ask Alexa to adjust the brightness by percent (i.e. Alexa, set Twinkly at 50%). This command will really come in handy when you need to dim your Twinkly tree lights for bedtime or movie night with the family. You can also change the dominant color of your Twinkly tree in a pinch, using commands such as "Alexa: set Twinkly to blue." Your tree room will never get boring when you can change the light color to match your mood for the moment. Expect a big reaction from your holiday visitors when you pull out this awesome hat trick!

4. Opting for an Artificial Christmas Tree vs. Natural Tree

There are many distinct reasons why an artificial Christmas tree is a smarter compared to a real pine tree, and safety is at the top of the list. With an artificial Christmas tree, you’ll never have to worry about an electrical issue turning into a fire hazard. As the season wears on, your Christmas tree dries up and the fire risk increases. Artificial trees are also much easier to set up than lugging a heavy pine tree into your home and keeping it watered properly. Many families opt for artificial Christmas trees because you can easily store the tree and use it again the following year. Saving you both time and money, an artificial tree is a smart investment over a real tree anytime.

Ready to Take Your Christmas Tree into the Future?

In recent years, the smart home revolution has become hard to ignore. With so many smart home gadgets on the market, isn’t it about time that your Christmas tree got a little smarter this holiday season. There are many different ways you can integrate smart home tech with your seasonal display. Using Twinkly lights, a smart plug for voice control, or a smart timer can make your Christmas tree more exciting and convenient than ever before. You can also opt for an artificial Christmas tree this year.

Here at Christmas Designers, we’re hard at work to help you create the Christmas display you’ve always wanted. For more tips and Christmas decorating suggestions, stop by our YouTube channel. We’re always adding new and creative ideas for making this the brightest holiday season yet. You can also reach out to us at info@christmasdesigners.com with any questions.