8 best Christmas tree stands: Keep your festive fir upright and stable

We’re pining for one of these brilliantly solid bases

Bear in mind that it doesn’t just have to support your super-sized spruce, but all the decorations you’ll be loading it with too

(iStock/The Independent )

There’s no getting away from it – Christmas is just around the corner, and it’s time to start planning.

The task which should take pride of place at the top of your to do list? The purchase of a Christmas tree stand – after all, bagging the most beautiful Christmas tree is pointless if you’ve got nothing to display it with.

Our top tips? Bigger is better when it comes to water buckets. A larger water reservoir will mean less topping up of water levels, and will make it easier to do so, too.

Make sure you consider the size of your tree, too. Although most stands will accommodate a reasonably wide range of sizes and, if you’ve got a weakness for larger trees, bear in mind that the stand doesn’t just have to support your super-sized spruce, but all the decorations you’ll be loading it with too.

With larger trees, a well-supported base is essential – ideally, one which is lower to the ground rather than raised up in the air, and it’s best to choose one with four screws, not three, for the extra grip these will provide.

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We’re not only huge fans of Christmas but big fans of recycling, and we repot our Christmas trees every year. This not only meant that we had trees in a wide range of shapes and sizes to test our tree stands on, but that – if we do say so ourselves – we’re basically experts when it comes to the world of Christmas tree stands. Yes, it’s a pretty niche area of expertise, but one we’re particularly proud of at this time of year.

How we tested

In a nutshell, our testing involved forensic analysis of screws, stands and water buckets, as well as critical appraisal of aesthetic aspects such as colour schemes, which is precisely why we’re confident these are the Christmas tree stands that should be topping your Christmas wish list this year.

The best Christmas tree stands for 2021 are:

• Best overall – Croft & Cole contemporary design metal Christmas tree stand: £24, Croftandcole.com
• Best for large trees – Large classic Christmas pudding pot tree stand: £19, Croftandcole.com
• Best for ease of use – Krinner comfort Christmas tree stand: £44.99, Amazon.co.uk
• Best for water storage – Cinco advantage Christmas tree stand: £21.99, Amazon.co.uk
• Best for appearance –Green market place metal Christmas tree stand: £16.99, Amazon.co.uk
• Best for minimalist style – Ferm living tree stand: £59, Madeindesign.co.uk
• Best for practicality – Christmas live tree stand: £32.99, Wayfair.co.uk
• Best for sturdiness – Harbour housewares artificial tree stand: £38.99, Wayfair.co.uk

Croft & Cole contemporary design metal Christmas tree stand

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

This is a stand that offers great support – there are four sturdy legs and four thick screws, all of which can be easily tightened. Its satin black finish gives it a sleek, minimalistic look which won’t interfere with your Christmas décor.

It’s design also makes it easy to top up water levels, thanks to a tapered shape. The separate tree support ring sits above the water reservoir, which is extra-wide, so you won’t have to nudge the tree’s trunk out the way in order to top up water levels.

Buy now £24, Croftandcole.com

Croft & Cole large classic Christmas pudding pot tree stand

Best: For large trees

Rating: 10/10

Full disclosure – we love Croft and Cole’s Christmas trees so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the tree stands available on their website are some of the best in the business, too. This particular stand – finished in festive green and red – has been designed with larger trees in mind, and will hold a whopping 2.8l of water – more than enough to quench the thirstiest of Christmas trees.

That said, we tested it on trees of various shapes and sizes, and it did an equally fantastic job with every single one. The pot itself is incredibly well supported by not three (the norm for tree stands) but four triangular legs, and the design of the pot – it’s got a tapered height and extra-wide rim – means it’s easy to top up water levels without drenching the carpet or dog.

Buy now £19, Croftandcole.com

Krinner comfort christmas tree stand

Best: For ease of use

Rating: 8/10

This Christmas tree stand, which is available in five sizes, might not be the sleekest on the market but its forest green hue earns it extra credit in the camouflage stakes. We also love the ease of operation – the tightness of the grip is tweaked by simply stepping on the foot pedal. Being able to tighten its grip without bending down to rotate various screws is a huge bonus, and we loved the way in which an internal guide results in evenly distributed pressure on the trunk of the tree.

Buy now £44.99, Amazon.co.uk

Cinco advantage Christmas tree stand

Best: For water storage

Rating: 9/10

This pine green Christmas tree stand, which will hold trees of up to three metres in height, comes with the added extra of fir tree images on the exterior. There’s no need to worry about your tree going thirsty either – the bucket will hold 5.5l of water. The three screws will do a great job of holding the wonkiest of trees in place, and its wide, flat base makes it one of the most stable Christmas tree stands we’ve come across.

Buy now £21.99, Amazon.co.uk

Green Market Place metal Christmas tree stand

Best: For appearance

Rating: 8/10

Who doesn’t love a bit of glitter? This Christmas tree stand, finished in a glittering green, will hold up to 1.2l of water and will support trees with a height of up to 2.5m. Despite the deceptively narrow profile of the legs, it actually does a great job of supporting the pot itself. Plus, the large rings on the end of the three screws make it easy to tighten the grip around the tree.

Buy now £16.99, Amazon.co.uk

Ferm living tree stand

Best: For minimalist style

A minimalist marvel with a low, flat design that offers incredible sturdiness, this snow-white, four-legged Christmas tree stand has been designed with smaller trees in mind. We’d have preferred to see rings on the end of the screws for fuss-free tightening, but then that would admittedly defeat the purpose of this stand’s design, which is all about letting the Christmas tree become the star of the show. Which is exactly how it should be, after all.

Buy now £59, Madeindesign.co.uk

The Seasonal Aisle Christmas live tree stand

Best: For practicality

Rating: 9/10

An unexpectedly solid Christmas tree stand with a slightly different design, this stand has three diamond shaped legs which lie flat against the ground. The thumb screws rely on thick looped ends, rather than rings, for tightening (a design feature we’re admittedly rather fond of), and the deep bucket will take 1.4l of water. Its low profile and supportive design – the bucket rests on the entirety of the three legs, rather than being raised in the air and supported by their tips – means extra stability, too.

Buy now £32.99, Wayfair.co.uk

Harbour Housewares artificial tree stand

Best: For sturdiness

Love a bit of Scandi style? Then you’re in luck. This plant pot-inspired Christmas tree stand has three thick, easily rotatable screws to keep the unruliest of Christmas trees in place, and its 1.2l water barrel will ensure your fir tree never gets thirsty.

It’s also a rather environmentally friendly affair too – the wood used to make the stand is FSC-certified (meaning it’s sourced from sustainably managed forests). Unlike many Christmas tree stands, the legs can also be removed for easy storage.

Buy now £38.99, Wayfair.co.uk

The verdict: Christmas tree stands

Croft & Cole’s contemporary design metal Christmas tree stand is the winner here, simply because it gets everything right – it’s stylish, easy to assemble and will keep the chunkiest of trees in place. Apologies for sounding like a broken record, but it’s Croft & Cole’s large classic christmas pudding pot tree stand which bags the second place too, on account of its rugged design, ease of use and its stylish, Christmas-themed colour scheme. It’s worth noting that both of Croft and Cole’s stands offer brilliant value, too.

Finally, there’s the ingenious foot pedal-operated Krinner Comfort christmas tree stand, which costs a little more but is worth every penny, due to its stylish look and lightweight but sturdy design.

Voucher codes

For more deals on Christmas interiors, try the links below:

• Made discount codes
• Very discount codes

Looking for more Christmas content? Have a read of our review of the best luxury Christmas crackers

IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.