3 Ways to Have Fun This Holiday Season with Smart Home Automation

November 25, 2015

This post comes to us from Control4 dealer, Tailor-Made Audio Video, in Salem, New Hampshire.

It’s hard to believe 2015 is almost over. While you start thinking about your guest list for holiday celebrations and your Christmas or Hanukah shopping list, take some time to get in the holiday spirit with smart home automation. Here are our three tips for using your smart home for some holiday fun.
 
1. Use lighting controls to add special ambience to your party or seasonal display
 
There’s nothing better than baking some cookies, playing your favorite music, and sitting by the fireside with some hot cocoa. To really set the mood, dim the lights in your home with your smart lighting controls by Control4. You can even automate your Christmas lights when its time to decorate. To add some color to your seasonal displays, use Phillips HUE smart light bulbs. They can emit all the colors of the rainbow and tie into your Control4 system. So not only will you save money with lighting control, but you’ll have fun picking different shades for a party or your decorative displays. Pick a subtle orange for Thanksgiving, and then red and green for Christmas.
 
2. Create holiday playlists and play them with your whole house music system
 
Music plays a huge role in getting us into the holiday spirit, especially since we only play these songs once a year. When you have a whole house music system, you can play different songs in each area of the house, or play the same playlist everywhere. And with smart controls, you can even time the music to come on every day. Wake up to Christmas carols, and then end the day with “Jingle Bell Rock” as you decorate the tree. If your partner is tired of hearing the same songs over and over again, all he or she has to do is turn on a different station in another room. Open the Control4 app on your phone or tablet, select a source like Pandora or TIDAL, and then choose which type of music you’d like to hear. With a smart home, you get to choose exactly how you celebrate the season.
 
3. Enjoy fun films with family and friends in a home theater
 
Just like music really gets us in the mood, watching movies can do the same thing as they give us some holiday entertainment to enjoy. According to Forbes, Netflix is releasing “A Very Murray Christmas”—as well as many other movies and shows in 4K—this December. If you have a Dolby Atmos home theater, you can enjoy 3D audio as well while you watch your most loved films. Highly anticipated movies like “The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2” can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. All you need to do is hit one button on your Control4 touch screen to dim the lights, close the shades, set the thermostat to a cozy temperature, and start the movie. The best way to enjoy yourself this holiday season is to take advantage of all the conveniences of having a smart home—and of course some cookies and egg nog. 

If you are interested in finding out how a personalized Control4 smart home can make the holidays more enjoyable—along with every other day of the year—visit our dealer locator to find a professional smart home installer near you.