5 ways to use smart home tech to make the holidays more fun

The holidays are a magical time of year filled with family reunions, gift-giving, and bountiful meals shared with loved ones. Unfortunately, there is a lot of planning, prep, and chaos that comes along with the holidays that aren't so merry and bright. But just like a certain red-nosed reindeer, Verizon Connected Home Experts are here to guide you through a smooth holiday season. With a little help from some easy-to-use smart devices, we'll break down everything you need to automate your least favorite holiday season activities.

Automate your holiday lights

Lights are a classic staple of the holidays—from the outdoor displays to indoor Christmas trees. But if you're tired of crawling under said trees to unplug and replug your lights, it's time to add automation to your holiday routine. With your phone, smart speaker, or smart hub, you can control multiple devices in your home with a tap or command. But to control and automate your lights, you’ll have to pair it with a smart plug. Simply plug one into an outlet, download the compatible app listed in the instructions, and follow the directions. Then, when you plug your holiday lights into the smart plug, you can use the app or a voice command like “Hey Google, turn on the tree lights."

Put your Christmas lights on a timer

Smart plugs don't just make your house cooler, they're good for your budget too. Use them to set on-off schedules for your holiday lights and appliances so they're not wasting energy. To set a Christmas light timer, plug your Christmas lights into a smart plug and schedule a routine using your smart assistant. Ever second-guessed if you left your tree lights or curling iron on? Smart plugs can also keep your home safe from these potential fire hazards. Keeping potential fire hazards plugged into smart plugs allows you to make certain from anywhere with Wi-Fi that your home is safe.

Sync your Christmas lights to music

If you want to create the perfect festive ambiance in your home, the key is using smart lights to sync your Christmas lights to music. Smart lights come in all shapes and sizes, just like regular bulbs. You can get individual bulbs like Philips Hue® smart bulbs or strips of LED lights. Each manufacturer will have different instructions for setting up and syncing your smart lights, but each should allow you to designate the lights you'd like to control and sync them to your choice of music.

Need a hand with holiday cooking?

Your smart home hub can help. Holiday meals are some of our greatest family traditions, and the stakes can be high. Between the planning, grocery shopping, organizing recipes, not to mention the actual cooking, it's a lot of work. Let your smart home hub help take some of the pressure off with these commands:


“Hey ___, add nutmeg and whipped cream to my shopping list."

Baking and cooking can get messy, but you don't have to reach for a pen and paper with the help of your smart home hub. Your virtual assistant can help you make shopping and to-do lists that you'll be able to reference later on your phone. They can also remind you what's already on your list too.


“Hey ___, how many tablespoons are in a cup?"

Pausing to look up a conversion could mean the difference between fluffy or gummy mashed potatoes. Use your virtual assistant instead to get answers to all your urgent cooking questions without having to look away from the stove.


”Hey ___, find me a recipe for sweet potato casserole."

When you're juggling multiple burners and oven racks, the last thing you want to do is lose track of your recipes. Ask your smart home hub to show and read your favorite recipes to you. You'll be able to hear each step out loud, and you can ask it to repeat or skip, or find an alternative if you're out of a certain ingredient.

Prevent porch thieves with a video doorbell

Picking out the perfect gift for everyone on your shopping list is hard enough without those gifts being stolen off your porch. The best way to dissuade or catch porch pirates in their tracks is to install a video doorbell. Video doorbells, like Ring® or the Google Nest™ Doorbell, allow you to see in real-time what is happening outside your front door. You can watch the video feed through the connected app on your smartphone, or even view your Ring doorbell on your TV. You can also use the speaker feature to talk to delivery drivers or let someone know that you can see them.

Smart security cameras can keep an eye on your home during holiday travel

The last thing you want to worry about during holiday travel is the safety of your home. Give yourself some peace of mind by investing in some smart security cameras. With well-placed cameras around the outside and inside of your home, you'll be able to keep an eye on your pets, packages arriving, and all other areas of your home.

Verizon Home Device Protect customers can get video doorbells, TVs, security cameras, and other devices installed for just $49 per product (or $0 for Verizon Home Internet customers). You can also call or chat with an expert to discuss your home tech today.