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Five Alarm.com Automation Rules for a Great Holiday

The holidays may be all about your favorite traditions, but advanced smart home technology from Alarm.com can make your season safer and smarter. With these home automation tips, you'll get more from your Alarm.com system and more time to relax and enjoy your holidays too.

1: A Smarter Tree

Crawling around behind or under the Christmas tree to switch the light on is one holiday tradition we can do without.

Thanks to Alarm.com, you can turn the tree lights on with just a tap on your smartphone. You can even automate your tree to light up at sunset, or when you arrive home and disarm your security system, then turn itself off automatically at midnight so you never forget. Just add a smart plug to your Alarm.com system and connect your tree lights, and you're ready to go.

2: Protect Your Porch

With deliveries, visiting guests and even the occasional caroler, there's a lot of activity around your front porch this holiday season. Keep an eye on the action with instant video alerts delivered to your smartphone from Alarm.com.

To avoid alert overload, customize your alerts with triggers that record only when there's certain activity - like the front door opening or even motion. In the event of an alarm, by the way, you'll always get pre- and post-alarm footage automatically.

You can place a camera that looks out through a window, or you can choose an outdoor camera that can handle the dropping temps and snow storms. An Alarm.com service provider makes installation easy and will find the right position to capture all the action.

3: The Santa Alert

Add some extra magic to Christmas morning with a customized smartphone alert confirming that Santa visited. It takes five minutes to set up and it's easy to do - click here for step-by-step instructions.

4: Heat the Halls

Whether you're visiting family, entertaining guests or just enjoying some down time this holiday, an Alarm.com-powered smart thermostat will keep up with your schedule.

If you're headed out of town, you can instantly override your usual schedule by turning on "away mode" for savings. If you have houseguests who like to fiddle with the temperature, set up an instant alert so you know right when the target temperature is changed. You can discreetly adjust it back to where you like it using your mobile app.

5: The Thirsty Tree Tracker

Letting a real Christmas tree dry out makes more than a mess – it can become a fire hazard. An Alarm.com-powered water sensor can help you keep tabs on it so it doesn't dry out.

The water sensor was designed for early flood detection, but with a little creativity it has a great holiday use too. First, place a water sensor in your tree stand's tray. Then, plug your tree lights into a smart plug. You can now create a rule that if your water sensor reads "dry:, your tree lights will switch themselves off.

Happy Holidays from Alarm.com!