Wish there was a better way? Check out Aura — a brilliant new line of tree lights that are completely and utterly wireless. Rather than drawing power from a poorly camouflaged green wire, the bulbs get their juice from Aura’s Power Ring, which creates a magnetic field that transfers energy to any receiver inside of it. Each bulb/ornament is outfitted with such a receiver, so they’ll automatically light up when placed on the tree.
Not only does this save you from toiling with a bundle of tangled cords, Aura also looks better on your tree, uses less power, and is safer than traditional Christmas tree lights. Because each bulb uses super-efficient LEDs that put off little to no heat, they effectively reduce both your power consumption and risk of fire. Not to mention, the lights are also customizable, so you can change their color settings with a smartphone app.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get Aura on your tree in 2014. The bulbs exist only in prototype form at this point, and while the creators have launched a Kickstarter project to help raise funds for production, Aura won’t ship to backers until October of next year. However, if you back the project now during the early stages, you can get your hands on a set for just 65 bucks — a full $70 cheaper than what they’ll retail for in the future.
