The 11 Best Christmas Tree Stands for 2021
When you think about the things you can’t wait to do around Christmas time, it’s likely that hanging up your favorite ornaments, eating delicious food and getting merry on Christmas sherry all rank pretty high. One thing which almost certainly won’t make anyone’s list is finding a great Christmas tree stand for mounting the tree. This seemingly thankless task is riddled with potential pitfalls, including a wonky look from a certain angle or, worst of all, an unexpected toppled tree.
And while the successful mounting of the tree is very much taken for granted by non-tree-mounting house inhabitants, the reality is that any handy steps or tricks to minimize this often time-consuming process are welcomed with open arms. It’s for this reason you’ll want to invest in one of many built-for-purpose Christmas tree stands.
These handy devices are made to cut out the hassle of the mounting process for both real and artificial trees (if your tree doesn’t have a built-in stand). Forget any crazy bucket and dirt ideas and enjoy the simple ease of clamping your tree into place in a matter of minutes. The stands also include water reservoirs to keep your real trees healthy and happy throughout the Holiday season.
Before we jump into a few great Christmas tree stands, here are some quick, important things to keep in mind before you buy:
Size: You’ll need to know the height and trunk size of your tree to make sure the stand you get can accommodate the size of your tree. Typical Christmas tree stands can handle trees from six to eight feet tall with trunk diameters from three to six inches. If you do have a larger tree, tree stands with wide, circular bases generally provide better stabilization.
Water basin: Trees will dry out quickly and shed their pine needles if they’re not watered regularly, so you’ll want to make sure you have a sufficient water basin to keep it hydrated. Smaller trees, around six feet, will need about a gallon of water a day while bigger trees will need closer to two gallons.
Bolts: Every Christmas tree stand will have some kind of bolting mechanism to ensure the tree stays locked into the base. While one or two bolts might suffice for a smaller base and a smaller tree, you’ll likely want at least four bolts for anything larger. Four bolts will also ensure you can better center the tree in the base by applying pressure from four directions.
One big difference: Artificial trees typically have much narrower poles for convenience, so stands for them will have much narrower holes than stands for traditional trees. Our top pick is one of the few stands that can adjust the tree hole to handle both.
Bottom line: There aren’t too many different kinds of tree stands out there. A decent one will be made of strong metal or hard plastic or both, will have a relatively wide, circular base or multiple sturdy legs, a tree hole big enough for your tree and enough strong bolts to secure the tree.
Just remember, it’s important to buy the right size stand for your tree or vice versa to ensure the tree stand won’t tip over, which is a safety and fire hazard. Our list includes stands for all sizes of households, all sizes of trees and two options for displaying your tree in a rotating fashion.
Now, check out our top Christmas tree stands and alleviate your tree-mounting troubles this season.
1. Krinner’s Tree Genie Christmas Tree Stand
BEST OVERALL
With over 3,000 five-star reviews from Amazon users happy with the job it did, you too can trust the with your tree this year. This intelligent device can get your tree standing in under a minute through the simple peddle-and-tighten method and requires no physical assembly. It also comes in a range of sizes, allowing you to choose the right one for your tree, and includes a large water reservoir along with five extendable feet for additional stability. Our pick, the large version, can handle any tree up to eight feet, with trunks from one to seven inches in diameter. That’s good enough to handle artificial trees as well as traditional trees with ease.
Buy: Krinner’s Tree Genie Christmas Tree Stand $91.46
2. Good Tidings Cinco C-148 Classic Tree Stand
RUNNER-UP
If you’re looking to spend a little less and don’t mind the extra labor involved with a traditional, metal-bolt Christmas tree stand, you might like the Good Tidings Cinco C-148 Classic Tree Stand.
The medium version can handle trees up to 10 feet tall with trunk diameters up to six inches.
The biggest sell for this stand though is the water reservoir. It can hold two gallons of water, which means you’ll only have to fill it once per day or probably less, depending on the size of your tree.
Buy: Good Tidings Cinco C-148 Classic Tree Stand $38.73
3. National Tree Tree Stand
BEST FOR ARTIFICIAL TREES
If you’re going the artificial tree route, then you want the National Tree Tree Stand. First, you can buy this tree stand in multiple sizes, ranging from 16 inches to 36 inches, to accommodate larger trees and each size is made the same way, just with longer legs.
We think the model with 24-inch legs will be best for most people. It’s made of steel, so it’s plenty sturdy and it folds flat, so you can tuck it away after the season. Most importantly, it will hold artificial trees from 6.5 to eight feet tall, with trunk diameters up to 1.25 inches.
Read More: Best LED Christmas Trees
Buy: National Tree Tree Stand $19.99
4. Good Tidings C163 Cinco Tabletop Christmas Tree Stand
BEST FOR SMALL TREES
Good Tidings makes one of the best overall Christmas tree stands, but it also makes a great stand for mini trees.
The Good Tidings C163 Cinco Tabletop Christmas Tree Stand can hold trees up to five feet tall, with trunks between one to three inches in diameter. The water basin is also quite big given how small the trees are and holds about three-quarters of a gallon of water.
But the bolts tighten enough that you could skip the water and easily put a short artificial tree into this stand too. The base itself is just under 30 inches, so it’ll hold your tree, artificial or real, no problem.
Read More: Alternative Christmas Trees
Buy: Good Tidings C163 Cinco Tabletop Christmas Tree Stand $17.39
5. JACK-POST Oasis Christmas Tree Stand
BEST VALUE
Do you have a tree under 10 feet tall and want a quick and easy way to stand it up? Try this . The highly durable stands use five eye-bolt screws to pressure your tree in place, while the centrally mounted spikes in the stand also keep the trunk from moving, too. The metals used in the stand are corrosion resistant for added durability, and the stand can also hold up to 1.5 gallons of water to keep your tree happy.
Read More: Best Deals on Christmas Trees
Buy: JACK-POST Oasis Christmas Tree Stand $37.85
6. Holiday Aisle Universal Rolling Artificial Tree Stand
MOST TRANSPORTABLE
This rolling tree stand holds trees up to 7.5 feet. It features a durable steel collar and has four scratch-resistant caster wheels that allow you to transport it from room to room with ease. Designed for artificial trees, it can fit trunks with a circumference of 1.25″ – 2.125″.
Read More: Best Christmas Decorations
Buy: Universal Rolling 7.5′ Artificial Tree Stand $60.90
7. JACK-POST Welded Steel Christmas Tree Stand
MOST TRADITIONAL
With its mix of deep green, gold and red, the is an attractive way to display your Christmas tree. The four adjustable T-nut eye bolts make securing your tree simple, while the attached water reservoir can hold up to 1.7 gallons of water to keep your tree looking great. The stand, which can accommodate trees up to 12-feet high with seven-inch trunks, also includes a bottom-mounted steel spike to further add stability.
Buy: JACK-POST Welded Steel Christmas Tree Stand $77.61
8. Tree Nest Cosmopolitan Live Tree Stand
BEST MODERN
Designed for trees up to 5′ tall, this tree stand offers a modern option for displaying your tree. It features a metal tripod base and beech wood legs in a Scandinavian-style design. There are large bolts to make tightening and securing your Christmas tree a breeze.
Buy: Tree Nest Cosmopolitan Live Tree Stand $47.99
9. Elf Logic Rotating Christmas Tree Stand
BEST ROTATING
How do you make sure each one of your beautiful tree ornaments gets its fair share of the limelight? No one wants to be the ornament at the back in the shadows. The answer is simple: the . When switched on, this handy device slowly rotates around 360 degrees, ensuring each and every part of your tree is on display. The remote control means you don’t even have to get up to enjoy the show, and it even lets you control your lights, too. The stand is capable of holding trees up to 7.5 feet tall with trunk sizes up to 5.5 inches in diameter.
Buy: Elf Logic Rotating Christmas Tree Stand $169.95
10. Best Choice Products 360-Degree Rotating Adjustable Christmas Tree Stand
BEST ROTATING FOR ARTIFICIAL TREES
While you could probably get away with the Elf Logic rotating stand with a fake tree, you can buy rotating Christmas tree stands specifically for fake trees, too.
The Best Choice Christmas Tree Stand for Artificial Tree rotates 360 degrees every 70 seconds with the flip of a switch and can hold trees up to 7.5 feet tall and 80 pounds in weight. It comes with three different settings for trunks 0.9″ – 1.25″ so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to make it work for your tree. The four legs add durability and it features a power cord inside the base with three outlets to plug your tree into if it’s got lights.
Buy: Best Choice Products 360-Degree Rotating Adjustable Christmas Tree Stand $49.99
11. Northlight Seasonal Musical Rotating Christmas Artificial Tree Stand
A MUSICAL ROTATING OPTION
Why settle for a regular rotating stand when you can have a musical rotating stand? This one from Northlight Seasonal rotates 360 degrees and plays a myriad of classic Christmas songs in the process. It’s designed for artificial trees up to 7.5 feet tall and 65 pounds and is to be used indoors only.
Buy: Northlight Seasonal Musical Rotating Christmas Artificial Tree Stand $78.99
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