Christmas smart home tech - how to make the festive season a more practical (and magical) one

Once most of the the stressful build-up to the big day is over with, Christmas is a time for family, friends and relaxing. And what better way to relax than to not have to deal with time-consuming tasks like making playlists and faffing with light switches?

We’ve rounded up a list of the best festive smart home trends and tech products to add to your smart home setup, so you can make your Christmas a better and far more enjoyable one.

1. Invest in some smart festive lighting

When it comes to decorating at Christmas, you’re lost without lighting. Sling a string of fairy lights on something and you've instantly festi-fied the space.

Brands like Twinkly, Philips Hue and WiZ all have impressive ranges of decorative festive lights with a difference - from fairy lights to festoons, to reindeer and trees, as they can be controlled via an app, set to specific schedules and even sync to any music playing meaning that they’ll pulse along to the beat.

They tend to come at a premium though, so if your budget won’t stretch to new decorative smart lighting, you can still make your existing lights a smidge smarter, by plugging them into a smart plug and linking that to your smart home ecosystem, to allow you to turn them on and off just by asking your voice assistant. This also saves you from having to disappear under the tree each evening before bedtime to unplug the lights...

2. Choose a soundtrack to set the scene

Speaking of music, if you have a subscription to a music streaming service, like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Napster, Tidal, and so on, as well as smart home voice control (via a smart speaker with a built-in voice assistant), you’ll have a wide array of festive music on demand.

From background tunes to play when everyone is dining on Christmas Day to party tunes for an impromptu kitchen disco, simply ask and you shall receive.

3. Use video calls to keep in touch

These days, most people know about video calling but usually always do so via their phones. This results in bad angles, roaming fingers obstructing camera lenses or covering microphones, and generally shaky hand-held pictures.

Investing in a smart speaker with a screen (Google Nest Hub or Pixel tablet or any of the Amazon Echo Show models) or if you’re a Sky Glass owner, the Sky Live camera and you’ll be able to sit comfortably and chat to a loved one in the same room, even if they’re miles away.

4. Try smart thermostats to keep you cosy

While the chances of a White Christmas this year are low, that doesn't mean you won't need the heating on to keep you cosy indoors.

As well as being automatically responsive when you leave the house or return home - turning the heating off when you go and back on when you're back again- a smart heating system (a smart thermostat together with smart radiator valves) will switch the heating off in rooms that aren't being used, such as bedrooms during the day time.

All of this will, in turn, save you energy and therefore money off your energy bill - which certainly can't be sniffed at during the spenniest time of year.

5. Have your voice assistant at the ready

As already mentioned, voice assistants can be an enormous help at Christmas, actioning a whole host of jobs while you're multitasking with the cooking, present-wrapping, or simply just entertaining.

For instance, you can set multiple timers on your voice assistant to help you cook Christmas dinner. Just make sure you give each one a different name.

6. Download some Christmas apps

Finally, why not make the festive season run super smoothly with one of the following Christmas helpers?

• Todoist There’s a LOT of planning involved in the run-up to the big day and this app will help you get organised. This app is perfect for those with a lot on and who relish crossing stuff off a list. Free and on both Android and iOS, it helps with meal planning, shopping lists, event reminders and so on. It even has a handy daily list of Elf on the Shelf ideas if you’ve already exhausted your set-ups after the first week.
• Elfster If you are planning a Secret Santa this year, this app will make the whole process a cinch. Available on both Android and iOS devices, this free app will help you create a group and send out invites to all included. It’ll also help you all to virtually pick a name out of a hat, too. Invitees can add personalized wish lists, and buy directly through one of the app’s affiliated stores.