Smart Christmas Tree Lights: Easy Upgrades, Automations and Safety Tips
Smart Christmas tree lights are the easiest holiday upgrade you can make, and they solve the most annoying part of decorating: crawling behind the tree every night to find the plug. With a smart plug or a set of app-controlled lights, your tree turns on at sunset, switches off at bedtime, and can even change colors or patterns from your phone.
There’s a safety benefit too. Trees that stay lit overnight or while nobody’s home are a real fire risk, and automation makes sure the lights go off every single night. This guide covers your options, from a $10 smart plug to fully mapped smart Christmas tree lights, plus the automations and safety habits worth setting up.
Why Automate Your Christmas Tree?
- No more reaching behind the tree. Lights turn on and off on a schedule or by voice.
- They never stay on all night. A schedule turns them off at bedtime even if everyone forgets.
- Lower energy use. Lights only run when someone’s there to enjoy them.
- More festive. App-controlled lights let you change colors and effects for parties or movie nights.
Christmas tree fires aren’t common, but they can be serious. According to NFPA data reported by Fire & Safety Journal Americas, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 155 home fires per year that started with Christmas trees between 2018 and 2022, and electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in 41 percent of them. Fire safety experts recommend turning tree lights off when you leave home or go to bed, and a schedule makes that automatic.
Option 1: A Smart Plug (The Cheapest Way)
The easiest way to get smart Christmas tree lights is to plug your existing lights into a smart plug. That’s it. You can now control them with your phone, voice assistant, or a schedule.
- Cost: about $10 to $20 per plug
- Works with: any plug-in lights and decorations
- Limitation: on and off only, no color control
Unlike high-power appliances such as space heaters, string lights draw very little power, so they’re a perfect match for a standard smart plug. (For why heaters are different, see our guide on using a smart plug with a space heater.) For outdoor decorations, use an outdoor-rated smart plug.
Option 2: App-Controlled Christmas Lights
If you want color and effects, smart string lights connect directly to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and give you full control of every bulb from an app.
- Govee and similar brands offer RGB string lights with scenes, music sync, and Alexa and Google support at moderate prices.
- Twinkly is the premium choice. Its app uses your phone camera to map exactly where each light sits on the tree, so animations flow across the shape of the tree rather than along the wire. The effect is impressive.
Expect to pay more than for standard lights, but you’ll reuse them every year.
Option 3: A Pre-Lit Smart Tree
Some artificial trees now come with built-in app-controlled lights. They’re the most convenient option, though you’re locked into the tree’s light design and, if the lights fail, you may need a new tree.
Smart Christmas Tree Lights Options Compared
| Option | Approx. cost | Color control | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart plug + existing lights | $10 to $20 | No | Anyone, quick upgrade |
| RGB smart string lights | $30 to $100 | Yes | Color and music effects |
| Twinkly mapped lights | $100 and up | Yes, mapped to tree | Show-stopping trees |
| Pre-lit smart tree | Varies widely | Yes | Maximum convenience |
Holiday Automations Worth Setting Up
- Sunset on, bedtime off: the most important one. Turn the tree on at sunset and off at a set time each night.
- Away mode: turn off the tree and all decorations when everyone leaves home. If you travel for the holidays, our smart home vacation guide shows how to make the house look occupied safely.
- Voice scene: a phrase like “Alexa, it’s Christmas” can turn on the tree, the outdoor lights, and holiday music together. Our Alexa routines guide explains how.
- Morning glow: switch the tree on for an hour in the morning while everyone has breakfast.
- Water reminder: for a real tree, set a daily phone reminder to water it. A dry tree catches fire much more easily.
If you also have permanent outdoor lights, sync them with the tree so the whole house lights up together.
Christmas Tree Safety Checklist
Smart lights help, but basic safety still matters:
- Keep the tree at least three feet from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, and candles.
- Water a real tree daily, and remove it once it starts dropping lots of needles.
- Use lights certified by an independent testing lab, and check strands for damaged wires before hanging them.
- Don’t overload outlets or chain too many strands together. Follow the maximum listed on the package.
- Make sure the tree doesn’t block an exit.
- Test your smoke alarms. Our smart smoke detector guide covers models that alert your phone.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need fancy gear to get smart Christmas tree lights. A $15 smart plug and a simple schedule cover the essentials: the tree glows every evening and switches off every night. If you want colors and animations, app-controlled lights or Twinkly’s mapped lights add the wow factor.
Either way, set the bedtime schedule first. It’s the smartest feature of all, and it’s the one that keeps your holidays both cozy and safe.
