Five ways to make the Christmas season stress-free with smart technology

12 November 2018

Looking for ways to take some of the stress out of the festive period? Then smart devices could prove a lifesaver this Christmas. Whether you're prone to leaving the turkey roasting in the oven for just that fraction too long, or are always forgetting to turn the lights off when out visiting loved ones, smart technology is at hand to help you unwind and relax with that mulled wine.

What can you do with a smart device?

Imagine switching on your Christmas tree lights while walking home from the station? Or coming home to a toasty house, thanks to your Nest Learning Thermostat? And even getting a friendly reminder from Alexa to take the Christmas roast out of the oven? Below are just some of the ways you can use smart technology to make your life easier.

1. Ensure Christmas dinner is memorable for all the right reasons

There’s nothing worse than burning the Christmas dinner, or only realising you forgot to buy any brussels sprouts on Christmas morning itself. Use smart technology as your own personal assistant by setting yourself a reminder on Google Home of what you need to put on your shopping list. Or if you’re stuck for recipe inspiration, get Google to tell you how to make that perfect eggnog.

2. Keep things festive with your Christmas playlist

If you can’t get through the day without hearing the odd Christmas belter, you can get your very own personal assistant to keep the tunes coming. Small but powerful, you can put the Google Home Mini to work and make sure your festive favourite is on repeat while you baste the turkey – just say ‘Hey Google, play Last Christmas’ (again).

3. Make sure you don't receive any uninvited Christmas visitors

Don’t leave it all up to a burglar alarm - with a Hive View or Nest Cam Indoor, you can keep an eye on your house day and night, with automatic updates straight to your phone. And you can even capture screenshots and watch video clips from the app on your phone, tablet or laptop to check if anything is out of the ordinary.

4. Dim the lights, save a packet

If you’re always going to bed without switching off the lights on the tree, leave it up to a Hive Active Plug to do the hard work from now on. You can switch your lights, and many other appliances, on and off from the comfort of your smartphone. And if you go all out with Christmas lights all over the house– set up to six timings a day to turn the lights on and off, which should save you from racking up a hefty electricity bill over the festive season.

5. Baby, it's cold outside

Forgot you’ve ordered a ton of presents to be delivered on a day when you’re in the office? With the Ring Video Doorbell 2, you’ll never have to make a trip to your local sorting office as you’ll be able to tell the delivery man where to leave your parcels via your phone, through its in-built HD camera, microphones and speaker. And on the big day itself, if you need to keep an eye out for that uncle that always turns up unannounced for Christmas dinner, you’ll have no problems spotting him at the door.

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