How Hive Smart Products Can Make the Holidays Enjoyable ~ #LetsGetLiving

I have been using the Hive smart products for quite a few months and have spoken about it here on the blog as well. While I enjoyed my home being a little "smarter", I never realized all that Hive smart products could really do until this holiday. You may remember about how it made my Halloween even more spooky, but it truly has made our holidays even more enjoyable. Read on to find out how.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hive by Centrica Connected Home. The opinions and text are all mine.

Although we've lived in our "new" home for the past three years, we have never really celebrated the holidays at home. The holidays are usually spent traveling visiting friends and family that we haven't seen during the year. This year however, we've decided to celebrate at home and create traditions and memories to last us a lifetime. When we lived in our old home, we would decorate yearly, but the one thing I absolutely hated was going outdoors to turn on and off the switches at dusk or dawn, especially when the temperature wasn't ideal. Thanks to Hive, I no longer have that worry. Here are four ways Hive can make your holidays even more enjoyable.



Come home to a light filled home
There's nothing worse than coming home to a house just filled with darkness after a day out shopping for gifts. You can either set up a schedule for your lights to turn on automatically by using the Hive Active Plug or by opening up your front door using the Hive Door Sensor. What about when you're of out the house? Did you remember to turn off your lights? Now you can do so no matter where you are with your smartphone. It's also a great way to reduce your energy bills during the holidays.

Schedule your holiday lights
I don't always remember to turn my decorations on, but now there's no need for me to even think about it. I simply connect my lighted decorations, including my Christmas tree to my Hive Active Plug and set up a schedule. This is one of the things I truly love about Hive, being able to schedule things takes the guesswork of knowing whether or not I've turned on or off my lights for the holidays. Now I have a lighted front yard, just like the neighbors, but unlike the neighbors, everything is done automatically for me.

Control your heating
This is by far my most used feature. During the summer I would cool my home before I walked in the door, but now that the temperature has dropped, I can now heat up my home before I enter. I hate a cold home. I grew up on a tropical island so I love the heat, and I love having a warm home. I generally do all this and more no matter where I am, from my smartphone. If I had plans on traveling this holiday I could even set a holiday vacation schedule. My thermostat would essentially go to sleep until I returned, then I would be welcomed home with my perfect temperature.

Create the perfect atmosphere. 
Do you remember the Hive Active Light Color-changing bulbs that I set up for a spooky Halloween effect? Well they've come in handy for the holidays. With the Hive Active Light Color-changing bulbs, you can choose from 16 million colors to find that perfect holiday hue. I currently have my lights set on green, but I sometimes change them to red, after all they're the colors of the holiday.

So you might be wondering, what exactly is Hive? 
Hive is a leading smart home brand in the UK that recently launched in North America, Ireland and Italy. With Hive smart products, you can adjust your heating and air conditioning, lighting and even your appliances from almost anywhere. Hive products make your everyday life just a little easier by giving you more time to spend doing things you love with the people you care about. Hive makes your everyday life just a little easier by giving you more time to spend doing things you love with the people you care about.

Hive smart products are simple to use and come in packs that fit your family's needs and budget, and they're recently introduced a new flexible payment option giving you the ability to purchase their Starter, Heating & Cooling and Welcome Home packs with just one payment or spread the same cost over 24 months. Either way, you get the same great Hive features, warranties and customer service. For more information, you can learn more at hivehome.com.

Here's a bonus for all AnnMarie John readers, you will get 10% off any Hive Pack with discount code ANNMARIEHOLIDAY10. So go ahead, make your home a little smarter and give Hive a try today!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hive Home. The opinions and text are all mine.