Does your tree fall over? Check out our installation tips!

We have all either had it happen to us, or heard of someone who it happened to. That’s right, the Christmas tree fell over! Possibly breaking treasured decorations and definitely making a mess. Most likely this situation could be avoided, unless you are dealing with climbing children or pets!

Properly installing your Christmas tree stand could be the difference between a beautiful tree and TIMBER! With that being said, there are a few tips and tricks that will make sure your Christmas tree will be a standing success.

Step 1.

The first thing you want to do is open the tree up and shake out any fallen needles. This is done first to mitigate clean up and prevent needles from clogging up the trees water reservoir.

Step 2.

Next you want to cut the bottom of the trunk. Always do this outside as this makes quite a bit of a mess. When trimming the bottom of the tree, you want to trim off a minimum of 2 inches from the bottom of the trunk. You can use a variety of saws for this task, from a handsaw to a chainsaw- The type of saw does not matter as much as the cut, you want to ensure you have a straight cut to allow the trunk to sit flush in the stand.

The bottom of the tree is cut to allow the tree to drink. It is very important that the tree be put in water within 20 minutes of being cut, as the sap in the tree will begin to seal the bottom preventing it from being able to drink water and as a result drying out early.

After the cut has been made lay the tree on its side to prevent any dirt of debris to get suck to the bottom of the fresh cut trunk.

Step 3.

With the tree on its side, measure the depth of you stand, and then the exposed area of your trees trunk to ensure there are no low hanging branches that will interfere with the stands installation. If there are any low hanging branches, don’t worry, because of the shape of a Christmas tree you can always cut branches up keeping the shape of the tree. Once you have determined the stand will fit without any obstructions, it is time to install the stand.

Step 4.

There are many different stands available on the market, some require you to drill a small hole in the center of the tree's trunk to allow a peg to be seated, others require you to screw a plate in the bottom of the trunk- because these methods vary from stand to stand you will have to ensure you are using the correct method as per the manufacture of your stand. These options are to prevent the bottom of the tree from moving when affixed to the stand.

Open the stand fully to allow the stand to slip over the tree. Once the trunk is touching the bottom of the stand, evenly tighten you stand to allow for the hardware to secure your tree. Once tight, stand the tree up and check to ensure the tree is straight and plumb, make any adjustments by loosening or tightening the stand to ensure your tree is straight.

Step 5.

Now you are ready to place the tree, always make sure you have an undisturbed path. Carry the tree stand first; this helps prevent branches from getting caught along the way and knocking things over or even breaking. Once you reach the desired location, put the tree down and check to make sure it is straight. It is always a good idea to place the tree stand on a towel incase the stand leaks water.

Step 6.

Decorate and enjoy!