It is time to automate your Halloween and Christmas decorations using the same gear for both holidays. Setting up once in October means only swapping decorations in November. A Home hub, such as Apple TV, HomePod, or HomePod mini, is required to run automations away from home.
Outdoor-rated smart plugs are the essential purchase, allowing the same setup to power Halloween inflatables in October and Christmas lights in December. Most plugs feature two independently controlled outlets, enabling different schedules for decorations and lights. For Halloween, motion sensors near walkways can trigger lights when someone approaches, while color-capable bulbs set to orange or deep purple create the right atmosphere.
For the Christmas tree, plugging it into a Matter smart plug and naming it simply allows voice control via Siri. Building automations involves setting a "Time of Day" trigger at sunset and creating a second automation to turn devices off at a fixed time, such as 11 PM. Naming devices simply, like "Front Yard Lights," prevents the need to rename them when seasons change, as Halloween automations carry over into December.
The article concludes that the single Christmas tree automation is the most used, costing about $20 to set up.
Source: 9to5Mac · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing