You probably remember those historic Christmas tree stands...
They're the red and green three-legged ones with the soup-bowl sized plates that hold barely a cup of water. Along with the eye bolts you painfully twisted to secure the tree.
I sure do. They made setting up the Christmas tree quite a frustration. Maybe you can sympathize. You get the tree home and when you set it up, well, let's just say the tree refuses to...stay vertical.
Or, it does...for awhile. Then it comes tumbling down in a heap of flopping branches and flying needles while you sit quietly in the den. Certainly not conducive to a Hallmark holiday!
Are you looking for Christmas tree stands? Ones that leave you with all your hair intact and don't require consumption of alcoholic beverages?
One of the mistakes buyers make is getting a stand that's too small for their tree. Make sure you know the width of your tree trunk and that your stand will permit that particular width. That way you won't spend hours wrestling that tree trunk into the stand!
For live tree owners, another BIG issue is the water reservoir. You want to have a stand that will hold at least a gallon of water because most trees use this amount as a MINIMUM per day.
And don't forget a basic consideration: functionality and ease of use. With all the different stands available on the market today, there's simply no need to put yourself through the misery of an INFERIOR device.
So where do you go? If you want a basic stand, check out some of my suggestions below.
Or if you're really into exotic stands you may want to look into getting a rotating Christmas tree stand. Or maybe a rotating stand that plays Christmas music (yes they actually exist!)
I also have a page specially devoted to artificial Christmas tree stands if you're interested.
For starters, here are some of the many good stands available:
GRINNEN'S LAST STAND- don't think Custer (that didn't work out too well), but really, this is quite an innovation; the stand uses a wide steel-based frame for stability and anchors the tree to the stand using spikes and a unique strap and ratcheting mechanism. Check the website for details.
BOWLING'S LAST STAND- this red stand is simply made from sturdy steel fashioned into a Y-shaped frame and a cylindrical container on top that holds the tree and water supply. Get at least the 8 foot tree size so you have at least a gallon of water reservoir. A bit on the
expensive side.
OMEGA- an innovative sturdy plastic stand that's incredibly easy to set up. Once the tree is in the stand you just tighten four nylon clamps to secure it. You'll find these in places like WalMart and on Amazon. Make sure you have a good 10 inches or so of the bottom trunk clear of branches as the stand is rather tall.
STANDTASTIC- this stand frees you from the headache (or finger-ache) of having to twist those tiny eye bolts. Instead, the stand comes with three brackets that you screw into the tree trunk to hold it in place. Tools needed: one Philips head screwdriver.
EZ-H2O ARTIFICIAL TREE STAND- this will hold artificial trees up to 7.5 feet high and can be bought for under $20 either on Amazon or at Ace Hardware.
So there you have it, Christmas tree stands 101. Make sure you get a good one. Your owe it to your tree, and to your sanity!
Go to top of Christmas Tree Stands page.
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