Perfect Tree part two?

[user 26]

i started this new thread so as not to hijack fd's thread on finding the perfect tree.
i could use some tree advice. housesitting for family who are away til new year's or so. it's not my home and i ramble around this empty house and it's ... well ... lonely ... except for their 2 cats.
all their stuff is packed away in the loft of a barn that i can't get to so i'm not going to try to get up there to retrieve lights or stand.
i would love to have a little tree but i don't want a too tiny tabletop tree. maybe i can find a 3 foot tree and put it up on top of something? i'll have to wing it because the tree stand, the lights, etc. all they own is packed away. any experience with a small tree? no problem putting random things in the tree for ornaments. but what would work as a tree stand? a bucket? what did people used to do before 'tree stands' were sold? in a bucket with stones or bricks to hold it up?

 

[gillumhouse]

From that question, I assume you are talking about a real tree. You can get a small tree stand at a dollar store that will support a small tree - we used to have a 5 to 6 foot one in ours. I got a pre-light artificial 5 ft tree in 2002 at the resale store for $12.50. I also bought a 4 ft at teh Family Dollar a few years ago for $6 after Christmas and it has $12.50 printed on the box. I brought it down from the attic last year for us and it has become "our" tree and the other one (was already assembled and it stays that way in my storage room) stays upstairs now because it is HEAVY and bigger.
To answer your question about the "old days" they would make an X of wood and nail the tree to it or go dig one up and replant it after Christmas - in which case a bucket would be needed.

 

[Morticia]

If you're going for the bucket- sand. Otherwise, before tree stands were sold, you nailed a couple of 2x4's to the bottom of the tree or tied it to the stair railings.
You can order a fully decorated live tree from a lot of different catalogs.

 

[user 26]

oh man, don't tell me to use hammer and nails. i am carpentry challenged. seriously. my late husband was a carpenter and he was very kind when looking at my attempts at fixin' and buildin'. my daddy taught me how to use a hammer. if something didn't fit, you wacked it with a hammer til it did. smart, huh? the man had a phd. but was not a builder. no no no.

 

[gillumhouse]

oh man, don't tell me to use hammer and nails. i am carpentry challenged. seriously. my late husband was a carpenter and he was very kind when looking at my attempts at fixin' and buildin'. my daddy taught me how to use a hammer. if something didn't fit, you wacked it with a hammer til it did. smart, huh? the man had a phd. but was not a builder. no no no. .

No, dear girl, do not pick up a hammer. Go to the nearest discount store or hardware store. For $5 or less you should be able to pick up ared & green metal stand. It will consist of a "bowl" for the water and 3 legs you insert in the slots on the rim.

 

[EmptyNest]

I wouldn't go through any of their stuff. Many people would not like that. Of course I don't know how well you know these people. Can you ask them or email them?
You can come up with a small artificial tree and a few lites for very little at BIg Lots or even WalMart.