If you're in the market for a new Christmas tree, you might want to consider the new "smart" tree that connects to Amazon Alexa home devices.

OK, OK. You might be thinking, "Do we really need our Christmas trees hooked up to the cloud?" "Are we really at the point where even our beloved Christmas trees need to have the latest in high-tech advancements?"

No, we don't need that. Of course not. But could it make your holiday season a bit more magical? Yes. Yes, it could.

The Mr. Christmas Seven-Foot Alexa-Compatible LED Tree [1] ($303) is a win for parents wanting to spark some extra joy with their holiday decorations [2]. The artificial Douglas fir allows you to select the lighting colour – one day, it could be all red, or yellow, green, blue, purple, or white. The next? Multicolored. You can also choose the lighting style, whether you want the tree to "twinkle" or "sparkle." What's more, you can control it all with just your voice, from the other room or across town. You can even set the lights to go on and off by schedule.

Also, its user-friendly design – setup involves sliding tree sections together into a prewired "power pole" – eliminates extra cords, so the tree's base is uncluttered. For parents of babies and toddlers, not having messy, dangling wires on the ground offers peace of mind.

So it's true: you don't need a voice-activated Christmas tree, but like so many of the smart speakers and curtains and lamps on the market, you're very likely going to want it. And, maybe some day, it'll even help you order the presents that will eventually go under it!

Mr. Christmas Seven-Foot Alexa-Compatible LED Tree