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The holidays are a wonderful time of year, but what if you could make them even better? Elevate the cheer at your home a few notches just by adding a few key things to the mix. Adding a little bit of strategic smart products to your home setup can not only save you time and make your life easier, but it also allows you to turn on the festive vibes in an instant. There are endless options available to customize your home for the holidays, so we tapped technology expert Gurpreet Sarin for his favorite products to make this year the best one yet. In this guide we’ll explore everything you need to make entertaining, holiday prep, and home security so much more simple this year, and the whole season all the more memorable.
When entertaining this holiday season, add a hint of sophistication to the sparkling lights, yummy food, and ugly sweaters. The Amazon Echo Studio is a high-fidelity smart speaker that’s like having your own personal DJ. It lets you stream your favorite holiday jams on demand and when paired with another Amazon smart speaker like the Echo 4th Gen you can create your own customized speaker groups. That means you can play your classic tunes all over the house, or just in specific rooms or areas. It’s that easy. And the coolest part? You can activate the cheer with just a simple voice command: Alexa, play music everywhere. Twinkle lights deserve to have their moment too. Plug them into an Amazon Smart Plug, make a custom routine, and light up your living room to create the ultimate cozy scene (you can even voice activate the cheer using Alexa).
Cooking holiday meals can feel like a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We get it, there’s extra groceries to buy and put away, meals to plan and prep, and the added stress of following new and more complicated recipes. Eliminate the stress and tap your new sous chef, the Amazon Echo Show 10. It can remind you to take the turkey out of the oven on time, give you the rundown on how best to chop vegetables, add key ingredients to your shopping list, and when all else fails: video chat your mom for those priceless family cooking tips. Staying connected with friends and family is so important, especially during the holiday season, and the Echo Show 10 makes it easier to call your loved ones—even if you don’t have a free hand. Pretty soon your kitchen will be your favorite holiday hang out.
The biggest gift you can give someone (or yourself) is the gift of peace of mind. When you don’t have to stress about home security you can focus on what really matters during the holidays: the people. Start with the front door and add a Ring Video Doorbell 4 where motion detection alerts you when your guests arrive (no one likes to wait outside in the cold for too long) and allows you to monitor all of those frequent holiday deliveries. Mount a few Blink Outdoor Cameras around the perimeter of your house for a well-rounded view of everything that’s going on. Place one near the garage (often the weakest entry point to a home) and any back or side door so you can always check in on your home, day or night, even if you’re celebrating miles away.
With just a few smart devices you can add a lot of magic to your holiday season and spend more time focusing on celebrating with friends and family. If you’d like to learn more about any of these products, visit your local Best Buy or shop the links above.
This story was produced by WIRED Brand Lab for Best Buy.
