See Twinkly lights in real life and you’ll understand how far Christmas lights have come from the dusty, tangled ball of wires and bulbs you used to drag out every year. Yes, Twinkly products are expensive, but they’re also the best Christmas lights you’ll find.

They connect via Wi-Fi to the free Twinkly app, which you can use to control them and play effects – either of your own design or pre-set. Once wrapped around the tree, you can scan the set-up of the lights which gives you more accurate pattern control. You can set a timer, group them in sets with other Twinkly lights and control them together – or make them sync with music if you buy the Twinkly Music dongle ($39.99/ £23.99). If you use a voice assistant, you can even switch them on and off using voice commands.

There’s also a button on the power cord so family members without an app can switch the lights on and off and change the pattern.

But it’s not just what you can do with them that’s a big step up. They’re a significant leap in quality from standard lights, with rich colours (16 million of them, in fact) and opalescent whites.  

There are numerous lengths available, so choose wisely depending on the size of your tree – or, get a longer string to decorate an entire room. We’ve reviewed the 400 LED set but Twinkly offers several smart light designs for Christmas, including an icicle design (get it in the US or the the UK).