Another vote for Bowlling's Last Stands. You will never need to buy another stand -- they are great!

OMG...that looks perfect! Those long "legs" are exactly what Dh said we need, plus the heavy weight of the stand itself. A little pricey, but hey, anything to preserve my sanity, lol! Thank you both so much!

We've used the Krinner for several years. It's made in Germany, it's heavy and easy to use. The link is from Orvis but you can get it on Amazon - we bought ours at our local hardware store . You can read the reviews online too. One of the best features is that you don't have to crawl under your tree to tighten the screws. They have different sizes - we have the largest.

http://www.orvis.com/p/the-worlds-easiest-tree-stand/06t9

http://www.krinnerusa.com

We also have the Krinner. We usually have a 12 ft tree and have had no issues with stability.

No stand suggestions (although that Bowling's Last Stand looks awesome. Plus it has a great name), but just want to say that I loved reading your description of the day your tree goes up. Made me chuckle; written perfectly.

we have had our current tree stand for about 16 yrs after we decided we wanted to go larger with our trees and had a mishap! it is a heavy duty plastic stand that has a base that is 23 1/2" wide(round) and the tree trunk 'bowl' is 8", so can take a trunk comfortably that's up to ~7"(need space to water it!)... we have had trees up to about 14' tall in it that have been stable! it's a great tree stand and has been very durable all these years- no brand name, and don't remember where we got it- either the tree farm or home depot I'm sure.

another key, of course, for a more stable tree is a straight trunk!

We finally caved and got an artificial tree several years ago due to exactly what you've been going through nini. I had to laugh a little because you perfectly described us trying to get the tree put up in our house. Fortunately we never had one crash. If we still had kids at home, we'd probably be divorced by now over the Christmas tree drama. However, the last few years were a little more bearable due to the Bowling tree stand. I'm fairly certain this is the one we bought. We have a friend with a cut-your-own farm and he recommended this type and sold them so we bought one through him for our 10-foot tree. Very good product.

All four of our trees are artificial, as I'm sadly allergic to the real ones . . . but I had to post just to tell you that I'll be chuckling all day after reading your description Nini! I remember those days well from my parents putting up their real trees. The Bowling tree stand looks a lot like the one they ended up with. But, growing up in Michigan, I'm thinking it probably was one of their earlier models.

I wanted to add; We had put stick-on felt pads on the bottoms of the feet so we wouldn't scratch the floor while positioning the tree/stand. However, at some point, DH made huge circle out of cement board (leftover from one of the bathroom reno's) and coated it with Hydroban roll-on waterproofing membrane (and added felt pads to the underside of the circle if I recall). The tree stand sits on this floor protecting (puke green!) circle. Luckily, the stand and the circle are hidden by our much nicer looking tree skirt!

Our artificial tree came with a big felt circle that the plastic 'legs' rest on. You could get some inexpensive green felt to protect your floors, and then use a large piece of clear plastic on top as waterproofing in case of spills when watering. Then cover with your tree skirt. No one will see. Cat-mom's solution is good too.

Always meant to get a Krinner for DH since reading an article about it years ago in the Tribune about it. Maybe this is the year! We always cut our own, but our tree farm is closing (a tree farm decides years inadvance that it's closing, so they don't plant more trees or grind out stumps. By last year, its last, it was pretty paltry and depressing, but they still had cider, cocoa, and Danish butter cookies in the barn, keeping traditions alive to the very end)

Oh, and I had an extra shower curtain I fold and place under the tree stand (in case of water spills) and the tree skirt covers it all up. My folks' tree sits on carpet, so they use a circle of plywood for stability, covered with a piece of plastic sheet, then the skirt.

My own tree skirt is, literally, a skirt! It's a quilted wrap maxi-skirt from the mid-70s when those were in, in a fan-quilt print. It's so pretty, and works perfectly for the tree.

Oh, such great ideas! I am *very* picky about my wood floors, and your ideas for protecting them are wonderful. Dh said "go ahead and order" the Bowlings. I must say I am so much more optimistic about the holiday decorating this year! Bring on the big tree, sap be damned! :)

We have 2 live trees up each Christmas, and one of our tree stands is that Bowling's stand. My husband struggles at times with the screws initially, but they work well once you get the tree up and need to adjust so that it's straight.

Our other tree stand is from a local hardware store, and it's heavy, clunky and has screws similar to the Bowlings. My husband swears the screws make all the difference. Once the tree is up, he eyes the vertical-ness of the trunk and adjusts using the screws.

Just wanted to post a tree update! Thanks to you kind folks, we ponied up the money & ordered "Bowling's Last Stand." I was in love the second I took it out of the (Christmas tree shaped-cute!) box! It weighed a ton, the whole thing was made of iron or some similarly heavy-type metal. I triumphantly told DH, "The Tree Erection (ha, ha) Day will be better this year, this stand will MAKE Christmas merry!" And by George, it did! We put the tree up Saturday, and DH remarked how well-engineered the stand was. We chose a 12 ft stunner, and Dh and Ds were able to successfully get the tree in the stand, straight!! Dh said that stand was so sturdy we didn't even need the wood/wire tie thing he rigged up last year to bolt it to the balustrade! I told him my mental state required it, but it sure is nice not worrying everytime we leave the house that we will return home to Treemagenddon. :) So thank you for the wonderful suggestions, kind GW friends! Here is our lovely:

Lovely! So glad there is peace in your household and all went well!

Treemagedden, lol!

your tree is absolutely beautiful!

^^^See, that's the kind we had last year! It couldn't handle a 12-14' tree. I think really big trees need a super heavy stand.

I'm so glad it worked out!

What a great tree! :)

interesting... ours holds big trees no problem!! glad u found one that works for u tho!