IKEA’s LED Christmas tree and matchstick lamp have landed for festive duty alexblake.techradar@gmail.com (Alex Blake) | usagoldmines.com

• IKEA has launched a new range of Christmas lights and lamps
• It includes an unusual Christmas tree and a matchstick floor lamp
• Both can be augmented with the addition of smart plugs

Not everyone wants a real Christmas tree during the winter holidays, especially when getting one means cleaning up an ungodly amount of pine needles come the season’s end. If you’re one of those folks, you might be interested in the latest offering from IKEA, which takes the form of a Christmas tree made almost entirely from LED lights.

That means no branches and certainly no messy pine needles. Instead, the 150cm STRÅLA tree ($40 / £25 / AU$50) is simply comprised of a central spine and a selection of string LED lights descending from its apex down to the ground.

The result is what might be called a minimalist, post-modern take on the traditional Christmas tree, which IKEA says can be used both indoors and outdoors.

This tree, which comes with 180 diodes, might not fit into every living room or be to everyone’s tastes. But what might be more appealing is another addition to the STRÅLA range, this time taking the form of a floor light arranged as three large wooden matchsticks, with the red tips serving as soft lamps for your living space.

That potentially makes it a quirky addition to your room and an eye-catching talking point at Christmas time. It’s not trying to replace your Christmas tree and is more of a fun addition than a dedicated centerpiece.

This floor lamp is also dimmable in two steps, so you can use it as more of a cosy, accent light rather than your living room’s lighting star.

Now add some smarts

While neither STRÅLA light has much in the way of smart home functionality, you can add that into the mix by combining them with a smart plug — for example, IKEA does its own with the GRILLPLATS ($8 / £7 / AU$13) range, which are compatible with the Matter smart home protocol and the IKEA Home app.

For true smart home control, you’ll also need some kind of hub (either IKEA’s DIRIGERA, or an Amazon Echo, Google Nest, or Apple Home hub that’s both Matter compatible and acts as a Thread border router). But add one of those, and you can set your lights to a schedule or switch them on or off remotely.

That could help save you money over the Christmas period, but can also help the lights mimic your presence while you’re out celebrating with friends and family. Use automation timers and you can create the impression that someone is home at different times, even if you’re not.

When paired with a smart home hub, smart plugs can also open up voice commands (with the assistant dependent on which platform you’ve gone for). This is especially fun during the holiday season, when you can set up your lights to be activated by a phrase such as “Merry Christmas.”

Christmas is still a couple of months away, but it’s always a good idea to get your planning started early. With IKEA’s new festive lights, you’ve got a few more options when it comes to decorating your home for the holidays.