The holidays are a time for joy, family, and celebration, but they also bring added responsibilities. Between decorating, hosting, and just keeping up with your daily routines, your home can quickly start to feel more like a never-ending to-do list rather than your haven.
That’s where smart home technology comes in. It can help you streamline holiday tasks to focus on what matters most—spending time with loved ones and enjoying the season's magic.
And there are more upsides to upgrading your home tech: doing so can also enhance the overall value and appeal of your property. Current research indicates that 77% of today’s home buyers are interested in smart homes, which results in an up to 5% increase in a property’s resale value! In general, estimates indicate that sellers who invest in smart home technologies realize a 50% return.1
So whether you're thinking about selling in the near future or just want to enjoy your home to the fullest this season, adding smart gadgets is an investment that pays off. Read on for some of the best smart home solutions to simplify your holidays (and just maybe make your home more marketable down the road, too).
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ENTERTAINING MADE EASY
Spending time with friends and family is the highlight of the holiday season—but entertaining can be a lot of work. These tools can help turn any gathering into a celebration to remember without all of the fuss.
Make Cooking Easier with Digital Recipe Access
Holiday cooking often means late nights and multiple trips to the store. Instead of juggling old recipe cards, let smart-home displays keep you organized with easy menu planning and grocery lists.
- High-end: Google Nest Hub Max This smart display offers an easy-to-use recipe mode with step-by-step guidance from the Google Assistant. It’s like having a sous chef right on your countertop.
- Mid-range: LG - 27" Smart webOS TV with Countertop Design This smart TV can be perched on your kitchen counter or mounted on the wall to watch cooking shows, pull up your favorite recipes, or cast content from your mobile device.
- Budget pick: Amazon Echo Show 8 With a Food Network integration and recipe assistance, this countertop model offers plenty of features in a less-expensive package.
Smart Lighting
Let’s talk about smart lighting—it’s one of those upgrades that makes a bigger difference than you’d expect! The right lighting can completely change the vibe of a gathering, whether you’re hosting a cozy family dinner or a festive holiday party. With smart lighting, you can easily adjust colors, brightness, and even the temperature of the light to set the perfect ambiance—all from your phone or a voice assistant.
My favorite feature? Being able to control the lights when I’m not at home. Whether I need to turn them on for security, make it look like someone’s home, or just shut off a light I forgot, it’s such a game-changer. Smart lighting isn’t just convenient; it’s a simple way to elevate your space and add a little extra magic to your home this season. Let me know if you try it—I’d love to hear how you use it!
- High-end: Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box Watching a holiday movie? Sync your smart lightbulbs to adapt their colors to what’s on the screen for the ultimate festive movie experience. Fun.
- Mid-range: Lutron Caseta Wireless Bridge The Lutron Smart Bridge lets you control, automate, and monitor your Caseta Wireless dimmers and Serena Remote Controlled Shades from your smartphone, tablet, or even an Apple Watch. It works seamlessly with Apple HomeKit, Honeywell Wi-Fi Thermostats, and Logitech Harmony remotes, giving you even more control over your home. You can schedule lights to adjust with the time of day, create favorite scenes for multiple lights and shades, and even enable geofencing so your lights automatically turn on or off as you come and go. It’s an easy way to keep your home cozy, efficient, and perfectly lit —whether you’re there or not!
- Budget-friendly: Govee Lightbulbs Just getting started with smart bulbs? This affordable option allows you to control color and brightness using your Alexa or Google Home device.
Amplify Your Holiday Spirit with Smart Speakers
From carols to party playlists, music sets the tone for the holidays. These smart speakers will get everyone in the mood to sing along.
- High-end: Bose Smart Speaker 500 Love my Bose. This powerful speaker delivers room-filling sound—and Google Assistant and Alexa are both built-in.
- Mid-range: Amazon Echo Studio The best device for Amazon loyalists who care about sound, music comes through loud and clear on this speaker.
- Budget-friendly: Google Nest Mini This diminutive speaker gives you voice-controlled playback at an entry-level price. These make great stocking stuffers too!
TRADITIONS WITH A TWIST
Decorating your home and popping on a holiday film gets everyone in the holiday spirit. These tech solutions make things easier and give you more time to enjoy the fun.
Shine Bright with Smart Plugs
Tired of clambering behind furniture to get to a hard-to-reach plug for your decorations? Invest in smart plugs, and you can control all of your electrified holiday decor (plus anything else you might plug in!) easily from your phone.
- High-end: Meross Smart Power Strip This smart power strip includes four AC outlets plus two USB C and one USB A port. It’s compatible with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, and each outlet can be operated individually.
- Mid-range: Enbrighten Wifi Smart 2-Outlet Plug This smart plug turns one wall outlet into two smart outlets. Control the plug using an app or with Google or Alexa voice assistants.
- Budget-friendly: Kasa Smart Plug Ultra Mini These inexpensive plugs are designed to take up minimal wall space yet offer plenty of features. Plus, they’re compatible with Google and Amazon home ecosystems.
Create a Winter Wonderland with Smart Outdoor Lighting
Florida winters may skip the snow, but we definitely make up for it with stunning holiday light displays! Whether you’re aiming to dazzle the neighborhood or just add a little holiday charm to your outdoor space, setting up lights doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Smart outdoor lighting makes it easy to illuminate your home’s exterior with minimal effort—perfect for creating that festive glow without the hassle.
- High-end: Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights LED lights are so versatile! Install these permanent outdoor lights on your home and celebrate year-round with app-controlled color and effects options for every holiday you can think of.
- Mid-range: Twinkly Icicle Lights Drape your home in any color you can think of with these easy-to-use, app-controlled icicle-style lights. True to the name, there are plenty of twinkling options to choose from!
- Budget-friendly: Brizled Smart Christmas Lights String up these indoor-outdoor lights wherever you’d like to enjoy customizable colors and effects, or sync the bulbs with music for a truly eye-catching outdoor display.
SIMPLIFIED HOME MANAGEMENT
There’s plenty to manage at the holidays as it is—make things easier for yourself by automating some basic home tasks and functions. Less time spent on tedious chores means more time making memories with your family.
Keep Your Home Spotless with Robot Vacuums
The holidays can create a lot of mess — stay on top of it with smart vacuums that clean up all of those cookie crumbs and bits of wrapping paper for you. In Florida, you'll appreciate a vacuum that works well with fine sand.
- High-end: Roomba Combo J9 Plus Say goodbye to vacuuming and mopping with this high-tech robot, which comes complete with AI obstacle avoidance to keep it from banging into your furniture. This combo helps combat both the sandy film we get in Florida after a windy day and with the sand we track in after our visit to the beach!
- Mid-range: Roborock Q5 Max+ This powerful robot vacuum is highly customizable—use the app to set up cleaning preferences like a second pass through high-traffic rooms or to block off areas you’d like left alone. Plus, it empties its own bin!
- Budget-friendly: Shark Ion This robot vacuum may not come with all the bells and whistles, but it does a great job keeping dirt and pet hair off the floor. You can control it with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant in addition to a dedicated app.
Greet Guests and Others with Smart Doorbells
The holidays tend to bring a lot more people than usual to your door. Keep track of who’s coming and going, and keep your home safe with smart video doorbells.
- High-end: Eufy Dual+ Security Video Doorbell This large video doorbell offers a much wider field of view than most competitors, plus high resolution and night vision. It’s compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices and can be set up wired or wireless.
- Mid-range: Google Nest Doorbell Camera This sleek doorbell camera is easy to set up and control from a distance and offers fast notifications and the ability to respond by voice or with preset messages. Advanced features include package detection and facial recognition.
- Budget-friendly: Arlo Video Doorbell This doorbell offers a wide field of view, high-resolution images, and the ability to zoom in, and is compatible with multiple smart-device ecosystems. However, some of its features, like recordings, require a monthly subscription.
Manage Deliveries with Smart Garage Door Openers
A smart garage door opener is one of the most practical upgrades you can make. Whether you're arriving home with an armful of holiday packages or managing your property from afar, these devices let you open, close, and monitor your garage door right from your smartphone. Here are a few great options, depending on your needs and budget.
- For a full replacement: Chamberlain Garage Door Opener with Built-in MyQ Technology . If you’re in the market for a new garage door opener, this high-end option is top-notch. With MyQ technology built in, it allows you to control and monitor your garage door remotely, schedule operations, and receive activity alerts. It’s reliable, user-friendly, and ideal for anyone installing a complete new system.< /li>
- For a mid-range upgrade: meross Smart Garage Door Opener Remote with External Antenna . This device works with up to three single doors and comes with an external antenna, making it a great choice for detached garages or areas with weaker Wi-Fi signals. It’s easy to install and lets you control your garage door remotely through your smartphone, giving you both convenience and peace of mind.This device works with up to three single doors and comes w ith an external antenna, making it a great choice for detached garages or areas with weaker Wi-Fi signals. It’s easy to install and lets you control your garage door remotely through your smartphone, giving you both convenience and peace of mind.
- For a budget-friendly solution: Chamberlain MyQ Garage Door Opener Bridge. If your current garage door opener doesn’t have built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, this bridge is a simple, affordable way to add smart functionality. It integrates seamlessly with most older systems, allowing you to control and monitor your garage door remotely.
Pro Tip: Strong Wi-Fi is essential for these devices to work properly. If your garage is detached or far from your router, look for a system with an external antenna or consider adding a Wi-Fi extender for better coverage.
Smart garage door openers offer more than just convenience—they’re a small upgrade that can make your daily routines smoother and your home more secure.
Protect Your Home While You Travel
Unfortunately, the holidays tend to bring higher rates of home break-ins. Whether you’re traveling or staying local, these tech solutions can help keep your home and family safe.
- High-End: Ring Alarm Pro Ring is well-known for video doorbells, but they also offer full home security systems, complete with professional monitoring (for a monthly fee). With high-performing devices and a built-in router to ensure working wifi, this system lets you keep an eye on things no matter where you are.
- Mid-range: Abode Smart Security Kit This kit is designed to work with all of the major smart home ecosystems, allowing you to connect as many devices as you’d like for a seamless experience. It includes a hub device, a door/window sensor, and a motion sensor, and you can easily add on from there to customize a system to your needs.
- Budget-friendly: Ultraloq U-Bolt Lots of visitors coming and going? This smart lock upgrades your existing deadbolt, allowing you to give access to trusted family, friends, housekeepers, etc. Each guest can have their own access code which can be one-time, temporary or permanent access. You can set the entrance code from the app and schedule access by date, day and time.
- August WiFi Smart Lock: Some Home and Condo Association rules limit your ability to change the look of your lock. No worries because the August WiFi Smart Lock attaches to the lock on the inside of your door, so it won’t impact your curb appeal or draw unwanted attention.
ENJOY A BETTER HOLIDAY SEASON WITH SMART HOME TECH
If you're curious about how upgrading your home’s tech might impact its value, we’d love to help. Reach out for a free consultation to learn more about the latest trends in smart home technology and how it can align with your real estate goals. Whether you’re looking to sell soon or simply upgrade your lifestyle, we're here to guide you every step of the way. Call Lois Marris at tel:904-373-8033