While the soft glow of the Christmas tree is arguably one of the best parts of the holiday season, getting behind the tree every morning and night to turn the lights on and off is probably one of the worst. But there’s a really smart fix that can give you complete control of your display with just the push of a button.

“I always use a smart plug for my Christmas tree lights, since it’s so much easier than getting down on my hands and knees every day to turn the lights on and off,” says Dan DiClerico, director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab, who also notes that the holidays are one of the best times of year for smart home technology. “I also like being able to program the lights to operate automatically.”

By plugging your lights into a smart plug, you can turn them on and off everyday through a corresponding app or even through Alexa, depending on the type you decide to go with. DiClerico personally recommends the GE Cync.

“We’ve tested a bunch of products from the brand. The app is intuitive and easy to use, and there’s a wide array of other products that can be integrated into the experience,” he says.

There are plenty of other affordable options that are pretty easy to set up as well, whether you’re hoping to connect yours to your Amazon Alexa app or Google Home. All you have to do is click a few buttons on your app or speak to your device through voice activation, depending on the product.

But smart plugs don’t just make controlling your lights easier, it can make the holiday safer, especially if you have a real tree where electrical issues can cause Christmas tree fires. “If you forget to turn the Christmas tree lights off before leaving the house, as safety experts recommend, you can do so remotely through the smartphone app,” says DiClerico.

Smarter and safer? Sounds good to us.

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Laura Millar (she/her) is the assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home design. Prior to joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she wrote for NBC’s TODAY.com where she covered everything from entertainment news to product reviews to pop culture updates.