The holidays see a common, dreaded ritual: Pull out the old light strings and see which ones are still working. If you're getting tired of finding dead bulbs or sticking the same ragged decorating lights, I suggest a smart upgrade. Today's app-controlled LED lights offer incredible customization and better durability than any old holiday lights. 

Beyond shifting color to match your favorite holiday (and not just for end-of-year celebrations), these lights let you find beautiful hues that help match that classic warm, twinkly look or try something more daring. Add in options like music syncing and you'll find all-new ways to use these holiday lights. 

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Govee Christmas String Lights 2

Length: 66 to 328 feet

Govee's smart string light upgrades are among the best, with several design changes we particularly like. These lights -- which have Matter support and work with Google Home or Alexa -- ditch the hanging bulbs for a string light design, making them a whole lot easier to place in a holiday tree, wrap around a wreath and so on.

Plus, the app has serious smarts, with 130 preset modes as well as shape mapping technology for complex DIY options and a surprising AI feature that will try to auto-customize the lights based on texts, snippets of audio music or image prompts, so you can really have fun. If you want to take the season to the next level, a music mode uses built-in mics to sync up to nearby holiday tunes.

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Note that you can pick a color for the LED string itself, with green being the best option to hide the lights in a tree or bush. They're also weather-resistant and outdoor-ready, so they can fit into any holiday home plan. We also like how affordable they are compared with many options.

Philips Hue Festavia String Lights

Length: 65 to 130 foot

If you're tired of taking different kinds of holiday lights out for each event and then putting them away again, the Philips Hue Festavia lights are made for every holiday event. The indoor/outdoor light string can become any color with the Hue app, right down to each LED to set up the exact theme you want. Add in a Hue Bridge ($60, supports all Philips Hue smart lighting) and you can enable an automatic music sync too. These lights work with Alexa, Apple Siri and Google Assistant.

Nanoleaf Matter Holiday String Lights

Length: 300 bulbs

This Nanoleaf string has many vaunted smart features, including Matter with support for Amazon Alexa, Apple Home/Siri and Google Home, plus music syncing. It also has an in-line controller for folks who may not want to mess with a new app during decorating. But our favorite feature by far is the Screen Mirror on PC: Download the Nanoleaf app and you can make the lights immediately mirror whatever colors are on your computer screen, allowing for really creative setups.

Twinkly 150-foot Strings

Length: 26 to 200 feet

If you hate chaining light strings together to cover a sizable spot in your home, we suggest Twinkly's extra-long 150-foot LED string, which gets it all done in one go. The indoor/outdoor lights sport 750 LED bulbs, along with Alexa and Google Assistant support. The app is a bit more limited than some, but that's a great fit for those who just want to set basic colors and timers with some easy light mapping -- without creating headaches. You can add a Twinkly mic ($30), sold separately, to help with music syncing.

Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights Prism

Length: 100 to 200 feet

Are you the type who hates to take Christmas lights back down again and finds they "accidentally" get left up year-round? Make it official with this elite Govee installation. Made especially for your eaves but flexible with placement, these lights adhere bulb by bulb for a permanent display. They can provide everyday lighting, then switch to holiday themes and synced flashing when the season rolls around. The lights come with a variety of color customization options and IP68 weather protection, as well as the ability to cut and splice the light strings as needed. 

GE Cync Dynamic Effects Smart Cafe Lights

Length: 48 feet

If you're looking for lights that fit your patio or deck and can stay up all year, these cafe lights are made exactly for that. Thanks to Cync's color-changing technology, the waterproof lights can switch to any holiday color scheme you have in mind. Each bulb comes with its own individual hook so they can handle all kinds of placement based on your cozy outdoor space -- from trees and eaves to fences and awnings. I'm a big fan of the Cync app and its usability, but the lights also support Google Home and Alexa control. 

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To learn even more about your smart lighting options, make sure to check out our guide to the best overall smart lights, top indoor smart lighting tips and the best smart plugs that can give even the dumbest Christmas lights smart features. Oh, and if you're annoyed at LED lights dying out all the time, we have a guide on exactly why that's happening.