Nutcrakcer Taper

Before you know it, it’s time to put up the Christmas tree again! And although your tree itself (no to mention all those DIY ornaments and holiday decorations on it!) is a work of art—if you may say so yourself!—Christmas tree stands are often, well, kind of boring.

If you’re tired of the same old metal or plastic stand you’ve been using for years, we’ve got some ideas to pretty things up. Tree skirts are fine, but with a few basic supplies, you can make your own DIY Christmas tree stand cover.

You can put the finishing touches on both live or artificial trees with tree “collars” that slip around your existing stand, or tree boxes, which camouflage the stand and also may provide support. Just be sure to measure your existing tree stand at its widest points so you can ensure that whichever cover you build will accommodate your stand’s shape. If you’re going to the trouble of making Christmas cookies, why not make a tree stand too?