10 steps for turning a bucket into a Christmas tree stand

December 09, 2013 at 5:57 PM

Finally, the Christmas season is upon us, with all its associated tacky tinsel and expensive baubles.

And it’s around this time of year (probably on the day you drag this season’s unsuspecting tree through your door, in preparation for dressing it up like some garish creature from Geordie Shore) that you realise either a) you have no idea where the Christmas tree stand is or b) that you never had one in the first place.

No worries… here’s at H&O we have the ideal solution. Can you guess what it might be?

Yes indeed… a bucket makes the perfect Christmas tree stand, whether for a real or artificial tree. In the case of the former, a bucket will help the watering of your real tree; with the latter, a tastefully decorated bucket will make the tree look much more realistic.

However, it’s not exactly as simple as plonking your tree in a bucket and perhaps paying one of your children a small fee to hold it in position for three weeks. So here is our 10-point plan to make the perfect Christmas tree stand.

10 step guide to creating the Christmas tree stand

1) When you buy your tree, take a tape measure to accurately measure the base trunk of your chosen tree and make sure you have the right bucket to fit. If not, take a look over our range of plastic buckets and chose one that suits.

2) As well as sizes, H&O supply a range of colours, so choose one in a suitably festive or appealing colour that will fit stylishly into your living room.

3) The chosen bucket must obviously be sturdy enough to support the weight of the tree. If it still feels a little wobbly, weight the bucket down with rocks to stabilise the tree, based on its height and the size of bucket. Make sure you take some time at this stage to ensure the tree is secured firmly, and won’t topple over.

4) If you’ve bought a new bucket you can skip this stage. However, if you’re adapting an existing bucket, give it a clean with warm water and perhaps a tiny bit of soap, to get rid of any chemical residue. Let’s face it (and don’t tell the kids this) but the long-term future of your Christmas tree is not good. However, it might as well be comfortable whilst part of the family festivities. Keeping it watered and healthy will also help prevent needle drop.

5) If you are using a real tree, you will have to gauge how high you want the tree and what needs sawing off at the bottom. Even then, with all trees you should saw at least an inch off the bottom to allow water to seep through the fresh cut.

6) Fill your bucket with a good few pints of water (and yourself with a similar quantity of real ale). Never let the level of the water drop below the bottom of the trunk. As before, keeping the tree watered – even daily – helps keep the bucket weighted down and the tree happy and healthy.

7) Stability. The only unstable thing should be Aunty Mabel after one too many goes on the cooking sherry. Your tree, however, should be perfectly secure. We’ve all seen those clips on You’ve Been Framed. You don’t need to hear the word “TIMBER!” when you’re trying to watch the Queen’s Speech. If the tree still feels a bit wobbly in its bucket, again you can use heavy bricks or stones. You might even stand the tree on a slab, to give it extra height.

8) Once stable, the fun begins. As well as decorating the tree, why not decorate the bucket? With a real tree, you can disguise the bucket with red cloth and decorate that with tinsel and ribbons. Your posh neigbours will never know it’s not, in fact, a stand from John Lewis, but actually an adapted plastic bucket from H&O! With an artificial tree, you might use moss around the base of the trunk, to give it the appearance of a real tree.

9) Finally, the tree itself. Dust down your Christmas album, fix yourself a sherry (the good stuff..,. Aunty Mabel’s only over on Christmas Day itself) and add your ornaments, lights and tinsel.

10) So some final thoughts: make sure the tree fits the bucket/stand before you bring it home; make sure you have adequately watered the tree for its size and finally, don't add sand or soil, because that will hinder the trees search for water.

And there you have it. We’ll be over at 3pm for sherry and nibbles and may we be the first to wish you a very Merry Christmas!