This set of app-controlled string lights lets you add custom colors and designs to your Christmas tree

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• It's almost holiday time, and we're already thinking about how to decorate.
• This year, I got a set of app-controlled Twinkly LED lights that allow you to create custom lighting schemes on your tree or walls.
• At $48 (currently on sale) for the smallest set, they're not cheap -but they're incredibly cool and fun to play around with.

The holidays officially begin on the day you start listening to Christmas music - and once you do, it's only a matter of time before you start itching to hang up lights and decorate your home.

Much to my partner's chagrin, I started listening to Christmas music in August - so I've been excited to start plastering our apartment with twinkly lights, stockings, holiday decor, and pine-scented candles for months. For what it's worth, I'm actually Jewish...it's just that I never celebrated Christmas growing up, so getting to experience that with my partner now always makes me extra excited to join in on the holiday cheer.

This year, I'm most excited to get to wrap my tree with these app-controlled LED lights that allow us to switch up the colors and patterns of the bulbs.

Aptly named "Twinkly," these are a fun twist on the traditional string lights you've probably been using all your life. Plus, they're pretty easy to use.

All you have to do is download the app and connect your lights via WiFi, and you'll be able to play around with all the colorful pre-sets as well as design your own custom schemes. You can choose everything from colors to whether or not the lights should twinkle, move in waves, or stay as-is.

The set I tested out was designed to be wrapped around a tree, so the algorithm is designed such that your lights will align with the triangle shape of the tree. To be fair, you should know that I don't currently have my tree up (unfortunately), so I tested these in my apartment just draped over the media center. I'll update this article as soon as I have them wrapped around my tree, but suffice it to say that they work just as well strung along a flat surface.

Another feature I like about the Twinkly lights and app is there's a timer so you never accidentally leave the lights on overnight, and you have the ability to turn them on and off from your phone. Twinkly also makes a "curtain" version of the lights, which will give you the option to adjust the layout in the app if you set them up sideways or in any other direction.

I'd be remiss not to mention that these lights aren't cheap. The more bulbs you opt for, the more expensive the kit, but if you love techy things and like the idea of being able to customize the lighting arrangements, it's definitely worth it for the entertainment alone.

Twinkly App-Controlled String Lights with 56 LEDs, available at Thinkgeek, $47.99

Twinkly App-Controlled String Lights with 105 LEDs, available on Amazon, $99

Twinkly App-Controlled Curtain Lights, available on Amazon, $154.95