Of course, you should give your guests a warm welcome right from the start. How about lighting up your facade with wall sconces, festoon lights, or lanterns? In addition, the Gira energy and light profile illuminates your driveway and help your guests find their way in the dark.

At the entrance, an elegant door intercom such as the Gira System 106 will greet everyone who’s coming to visit. You can even connect it to the Gira Keyless In fingerprint module: a smart solution that allows you to open doors without keys. Inside, the Gira surface-mounted video home station 7 shows you who’s ringing the bell – before you open the door.

The dining table is the place where everybody comes together to eat, chat, and laugh. With a decorative centrepiece and matching tablecloth, the food will taste even better. You can round off your decorations with flowers, foliage, and candles or tealights in jars. Another creative idea: put a chandelier or pendant luminaires above the table and add some shimmering snowflakes or ornaments. Thanks to smart lighting control, you can instantly switch on single lights or all of them at once – either based on automated schedules or via voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa.

There’s no real Christmas without festive music: a playlist with your favourite classics and carols will certainly keep your guests in high spirits. Using the Gira IP flush-mounted radio, you can play the Christmas soundtrack directly from the wall. Alternatively, you might also control your sound system via voice command and the Gira X1 server. If you’d rather listen to songs on your Sonos system, you can also integrate several Sonos speakers into your KNX network.

To make your guests feel even more comfortable, you should ensure cosy indoor temperatures at all times. Smart heating solutions such as the Gira System 3000 run automatically based on preconfigured time schedules, so you don’t even have to turn up the heating yourself. In Gira KNX Smart Homes, you can even adjust your temperatures remotely via app – while doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, for example.

Apart from the traditional Christmas tree, there are many other ways to give your home a festive appeal. A crackling fireplace, for example, can fill the room with warmth and a mesmerising play of lights. You might also add some garlands and wreaths for the finishing touches. But don't forget that safety always comes first: Gira smoke alarm devices will alert you in due time before forgotten candles or burning stoves lead to outbreaks of fire.